Siasia reveals Mikel’s alleged bribe attempt to join 2008 Olympic squad

By Olaolu Joseph –

The ongoing feud between former Flying Eagles coach Samson Siasia and ex-Super Eagles midfielder John Mikel Obi has intensified after Siasia revealed that Mikel allegedly offered him money to secure a place in Nigeria’s 2008 Olympic squad.

The dispute started after Mikel claimed he personally paid for the national team’s flight tickets, a statement Siasia later refuted. However, the conflict took a new turn when Siasia disclosed that Mikel’s agent tried to bribe him with €50,000 to include the player in the team for the Beijing Olympics.

Speaking in an interview on Elegbete TV’s YouTube channel, Siasia said Mikel only showed interest in playing at the Olympics after Nigeria had already qualified without him.

“Mikel wasn’t a regular starter at Chelsea then; he was mostly on the bench,” Siasia explained. “I told him we had one match left against Ghana and pleaded with him to come and help us. I told him if he didn’t come, he wouldn’t be part of the Olympics squad. But Mikel refused, insisting he was busy with Chelsea.”

The match ended in a 0-0 draw, and Nigeria qualified without Mikel.

Siasia further revealed that during preparations for the Olympics, Mikel’s agent approached him with an offer of €50,000 to secure his inclusion in the squad.

“I told them it wasn’t about money. He didn’t help us during the qualifiers, so how can I drop someone who fought for qualification just to bring him in? It wasn’t going to happen. That’s why Mikel didn’t make the squad,” Siasia stated.

This latest revelation adds fuel to the ongoing public spat between the two former national team members.