Former Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has disclosed that he personally covered the cost of the Nigerian Olympic football team’s flight to Brazil for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Mikel Obi’s revelation highlights the difficulties and mismanagement faced by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) during the event.
On his podcast, Mikel Obi shared details of the travel woes, saying, “When I represented my country at the Olympics in Brazil, we had to wait from morning till night at the airport because there was no plane to take us to Brazil. There was in-fighting behind the scenes about who would cover the cost of the flight.”
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Mikel explained, “The FA didn’t want to pay for the flight, and although the government released the money, it seems the funds weren’t released in time. We waited all day, but there was no flight. I ended up paying for it myself to ensure we could get to Brazil.”
This disclosure underscores the challenges faced by the Nigerian Olympic football team due to inadequate planning and coordination among the involved organizations. Mikel’s intervention was crucial in ensuring the team could participate in the Games, avoiding further embarrassment for Nigerian football.
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner’s comments add to his recent remarks about his experiences, including his contention that Lionel Messi unfairly won the Golden Ball award over him at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
