Former Super Eagles captain, Mikel Obi, recently shared a harrowing experience the Nigerian football team faced during their journey to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
Speaking on the ‘OBI ONE’ podcast, which was recently posted on social media, Obi detailed the challenges the team encountered due to administrative issues that nearly prevented them from participating in the tournament.
“When I represented my country at the Olympics in Brazil, we had to fly to Brazil, and we waited from morning till night, waiting for a plane to take us to Brazil,” Obi recounted. “There was no plane to take us to Brazil because there was in-fighting behind the scene of who was going to pick up the tab.”
He explained that the situation was a result of disputes between the football authorities and the government regarding who would bear the cost of the team’s travel.
“The FA didn’t want to pick up the tab; the government, I think, released the money, but the FA or whoever the money got into his hands refused to release the money,” he said.
The players were left stranded at the airport for hours, with no flight in sight. In a move that highlighted the dire situation, Obi stepped in personally to ensure the team made it to Brazil. “So we waited at the airport from morning till night, but there was no flight. I had to pay for that flight to take us to Brazil. I had to get us to Brazil. And these are the little things…”
The former Chelsea’s midfielder also took the opportunity to criticize the leadership of the Nigerian Football Federation, urging for the right individuals to be placed in charge.
“There is a need to get the right people who will run the federation properly. We just have all these men sitting down there. They know about nothing football,” he said. “They never play the game, and they don’t know how it feels to be a successful footballer.”
His frustration was evident as he discussed the mismanagement of funds and the lack of support for the players.
“They are just there because they were voted in, and they have the way to get the money from government but they won’t release it. They will just release ten percent and share the rest among them,” Obi added, highlighting the corruption that plagues Nigerian football administration.
