- Mikel has revealed that Nigerian football authorities have yet to refund him for the money he spent flying the national team to the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has revealed that Nigerian football authorities have yet to refund him for the money he spent flying the national team to the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Speaking on his podcast, Mikel said despite leading the team to a Bronze medal, his sacrifice wasn’t appreciated. He recalled how poor preparation by the government nearly cost Nigeria its spot at the Games until he stepped in to cover travel costs.
Mikel, who risked his place at Chelsea under Antonio Conte to represent Nigeria, blamed the lack of gratitude on corruption within the system.
“Again, talk about the corruption, where a budget has been signed by the government, and somebody sitting on top of that money didn’t release that money, and we are all sitting at the hotel, about to fly to, I think it was Rio, yeah,” Mikel said.
He continued, “And everyone’s thinking ‘how are we going to get there.’ There was no money to pay for the flight. There was nothing to do the players were worried, and for most of these players, it is their first time of going to a major tournament.
“So I thought why not. So I spoke to the coach, ‘how could we find a plane?’ We found a plane and I had to pay for it. I funded it. When we got there I thought I would reimbursed my money but up till haven’t been refunded… that’s the mentality.
“That’s the thinking. ‘It’s gonna be Mikel. He can afford it.’ But it’s not that. It’s the principle. It’s the respect. You know what I told them, ‘okay guys, I’ve done it but you need to reimburse me my money.’
“But they still didn’t do it. But the joy that I take out of that was that we got there and those young players were able to get a medal. Olympic medal.
“You know we finished third. But it was still a massive achievement and for me see that those young players went back to their families knowing that they got a medal was more than the money.”
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