Former Nigeria U-23 coach Samson Siasia has claimed that John Obi Mikel, the former Chelsea midfielder, tried to bribe his way into Nigeria’s squad for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Speaking in a recent interview with Elegbete TV Sports, Siasia said Mikel’s agent offered him a €50,000 bribe to include Mikel in the team after the squad had already qualified.
Mikel Missed the Qualifiers
Siasia explained that he had previously begged Mikel to join the team for an important Olympic qualifier against Ghana, but Mikel, who was not playing regularly at Chelsea at the time, turned him down.
“I told him we had just one game left. I asked him to help us qualify,” Siasia said.
“But he refused, saying he was playing for Chelsea, even though he wasn’t starting games then.”
Nigeria went on to qualify without Mikel, playing out a 0-0 draw against Ghana.
Alleged Bribe Offer After Qualification
According to Siasia, Mikel only showed interest in joining the squad after Nigeria had secured a spot at the Olympics.
“When we qualified, his agent came and said he would give me €50,000 for Mikel to be included in the team,” Siasia alleged.
“I told him no. I couldn’t drop a player who helped us qualify just to bring Mikel in.”
As a result, Mikel was left out of the 2008 squad that went on to win silver in Beijing.
No Official Response Yet
As of now, neither Mikel nor the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has publicly responded to the bribery allegations.
Mikel’s 2016 Olympic Support
In contrast, Mikel has previously spoken about helping the U-23 team in later years. During his podcast, The Obi One Podcast, Mikel shared that he personally paid for the team’s flight to the 2016 Rio Olympics because the NFF failed to release travel funds.
“We were stranded at the airport all day,” Mikel said in August 2024.
“I had to pay for everyone’s flight so we could go and represent the country.”
Mikel was the team captain and one of the three overage players allowed in the squad. The team later won bronze in Rio.
