Former Nigeria U-23 coach, Samson Siasia, has claimed that John Obi Mikel’s agent offered him a €50,000 bribe to include the midfielder in Nigeria’s squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics — after Mikel had refused to help the team during the qualifiers.
Speaking in a recent interview with Elegbete TV Sports, Siasia said Mikel ignored several calls to join the Olympic qualifiers, despite not being a regular starter at Chelsea at the time.
“I told him we only had one game against Ghana. I begged him to come and help us, but he said he was playing at Chelsea and refused to join us,” Siasia said. Nigeria eventually played a goalless draw against Ghana, which secured the country’s place at the Olympics without Mikel’s help.
According to Siasia, Mikel later wanted to be included in the final squad for Beijing after the ticket had been secured. “His agent came and said he would give me €50,000 if Mikel could play,” Siasia said. “But I refused. I couldn’t drop someone who helped us qualify just because of money.”
Due to Siasia’s refusal, Mikel did not make the 2008 Olympic team, where Nigeria went on to win a silver medal.
As of press time, neither Mikel Obi nor the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has responded to the allegations.
This is not the first time controversy has surrounded Nigeria’s Olympic preparations. In August 2024, Mikel revealed on his podcast, *The Obi One Podcast*, that he personally paid for the U-23 team’s flight to the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. He accused the NFF of failing to release government funds meant for the trip, leaving the team stranded at the airport for hours.
Mikel, who captained the team in Rio, claimed he stepped in financially to ensure the squad made it to the tournament. Nigeria eventually won the bronze medal at that Olympics.
These fresh claims by Siasia have reopened long-standing concerns about player selection, corruption, and mismanagement in Nigerian football.
