Former Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia has denied recent reports alleging that ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel or his representative attempted to offer him €50,000 in exchange for a place on Nigeria’s squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Siasia, who coached Nigeria’s U23 team during the 2008 Olympics, was recently quoted in an interview suggesting that Mike’s agent, John Shittu, made such an offer to secure the midfielder’s inclusion despite his absence from the qualifying matches.
Speaking on Brila FM’s ‘Big Interview’, Siasia expressed profound dissatisfaction with what he termed a misrepresentation of his comments by certain segments of the Nigerian press.
He said he’d no longer engage with Nigerian journalists, noting that why would anyone claim he said such.
The 57-year-old asserted unequivocally that he never accused Mikel or his representative, John Shittu, of attempting to bribe him.
He lamented that his reputation was being damaged due to a distorted interpretation of his original remarks.
This reaction follows a public statement from Shittu, who not only denied the bribery accusation but also revealed he has initiated legal proceedings, demanding a retraction and ₦250 million in damages from Siasia, former Nantes player for defamation.
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The controversy initially flared after a video clip circulated online, showing Siasia discussing the player selection process for the 2008 Olympic squad.
A previous report alleged that Siasia mentioned that Mikel sought to be part of the final team despite not participating in the qualifiers.
The report further alleged that Siasia claimed he rejected this request to maintain fairness to the players who secured qualification for the tournament.
Mikel did not feature in the 2008 Beijing Games, where Nigeria went on to secure a silver medal. He later played a prominent role in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, captaining Nigeria to a bronze medal.
