Siasia Fires Back at Mikel Obi Over Olympic Flight Payment Claims

 Former Nigeria U-23 coach, Samson Siasia, has strongly denied recent claims by ex-Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi that he paid for the national team’s flight to Brazil during the 2016 Olympics. In a fiery response, Siasia said Mikel’s statements were misleading and challenged him to provide proof.

Siasia, who led the Nigerian Olympic football team to a bronze medal in Rio, stated that Mikel did help the team with some hotel bills when accommodation issues arose, but insisted that he never paid for any flight tickets.

“John Mikel Obi did not pay for any flight to go anywhere, nothing,” Siasia said. “The only issue was with hotel bills, and he helped cover some of that. For the flight to Brazil, he did not pay a dime.”

He went further, suggesting that Mikel might be using the claim for attention or financial gain.

“Maybe Mikel is broke now and looking for money—he should find another way, not this one,” Siasia added bluntly.

The former Super Eagles star explained that a close friend of his helped secure free transportation for the team through Delta Airlines, after the initial aircraft—arranged and paid for by businessman Yemi Idowu—was deemed too small.

“Delta Airline flew us for free because a Nigerian delegate made noise about our situation,” he said. “My friend went directly to the airline’s chairman. That’s how we got to Brazil.”

He also challenged Mikel Obi to produce a receipt if he indeed paid for the flight.

“Mikel should stop talking about this issue. If he has a receipt, let him show us. Nigerians deserve to know the truth.”

The controversy comes after years of confusion surrounding the team's logistics before the Rio Games. At the time, Nigeria’s Sports Minister Solomon Dalung claimed to be unaware of the team’s training camp in the U.S., and there were conflicting reports about who actually footed the bills.

While Mikel has previously stated that he acted to prevent national embarrassment before Nigeria's opening match against Japan, Siasia remains adamant that his contribution didn’t include flight payments.