John Mikel Obi, a former captain of the U-23 Eagles and one of the three overage players, has revealed that he financed the team’s flight to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.
In his podcast, ‘The Obi One Podcast’, aired on Thursday, August 15, Mikel alleged there was corruption within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), explaining that he had to cover the team's travel expenses to ensure their participation in the tournament.
He expressed the frustrating experience of waiting at the airport from morning until night for a flight that never arrived.
Mikel, who played for Chelsea football club, criticised the NFF leadership for failing to disburse the government-funded allocation for the team's flight to the tournament, despite the urgent situation.
Mikel said he was able to guarantee the team's participation in the tournament by covering the flight expenses himself with the deadline approaching, a decision made nearly eight years ago.
He also stated that when he was representing his country at the Olympics in Brazil, they had to fly there and wait for a plane to take them there from morning until night.
The former Super Eagles captain said that the reason there was no plane to take them to Brazil was because of internal fighting over who was going to pay for it.
He also said: "The FA opted not to pay the tab. I believe the government released the funds, but the FA or anyone with the funds refused to release them."
Mikel also added that the team spent the entire day waiting at the airport, but there was no flight. "I had to foot the bill for the flight that took us to Brazil."
Mikel's revelation illuminated the systemic challenges Nigerian athletes encounter when representing the country internationally.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have expressed widespread outrage over the disappointing performance of their team at the Olympic Games in Paris, France, especially given the huge amount spent by the government.
The frustration was fueled by the stark contrast between the substantial funds spent and the outcome of the games.
The failure of the Nigerian team to secure any medals further aggravated the public outcry among Nigerian sports lovers.
