ABUJA, Nigeria — Samson Siasia, head coach of Nigeria’s U-23 men’s football team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has denied claims by former captain Mikel Obi that he personally paid for the team’s flight from the United States to Brazil during the competition.
Mikel, in a recent appearance on former England striker Peter Crouch’s podcast, alleged that he had to foot the bill for the team’s journey from their training base in Atlanta to Manaus, Brazil, due to administrative delays in releasing funds.
“Somebody was sitting on top of that money, didn’t release that money,” Mikel said, adding that he arranged a new flight with Coach Siasia and paid for the travel himself.
He claimed that, nine years later, he has not been reimbursed.
However, in an interview with Calistus Ebare of African Independent Television (AIT), Siasia firmly rejected the claim, stating that the team was flown to Brazil by Delta Air Lines at no cost.
“Mikel didn’t pay for any flight,” the former Super Eagles striker said.
“When we had some issues in the hotel and we needed to settle some bills, I think he did pay for some of the hotel bill. But the flight, he didn’t pay for it. Delta Airline flew us to Brazil for free.”
Siasia challenged Mikel to produce proof of the alleged payment.
“Mikel should stop saying this. If he has a receipt to that effect, let him show us,” he said.
The 2016 Olympic Eagles’ campaign was plagued by logistical challenges, including funding delays and travel disruptions.
The team arrived in Brazil just hours before their opening match, yet went on to defy the odds and secure a bronze medal—Nigeria’s only medal at the Rio Games.
While Siasia acknowledged Mikel’s financial support in covering hotel expenses during the build-up to the competition, he maintained that the claims regarding flight payments were inaccurate and potentially misleading.
