Former Super Eagles midfielder Mikel Obi has revealed that he paid for Nigeria's Olympic football team's flight to Brazil for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Soccernet.ng reports.
Last week, Mikel got a lot of flack after criticizing players with dual nationalities who fell back to African nations after failing to get called up by European countries.
However, he got a lot of backlash for his statement, and he came out to shed more light on the rational behind his statement on Thursday. In the course of explaining himself, he also laid bare some of the problems he experienced while playing for Nigeria.
Mikel revealed how the poor planning of the Nigeria Football Federation and the Nigeria Olympics Committee almost stopped the under-23 team from playing at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“When I represented my country at the Olympics in Brazil, we had to fly there, and we waited for morning till night, waiting for a plane to take us to Brazil,” Mikel said on his podcast.
“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.
“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.
“So we waited at the airport from money till night but there was no flight. I had to pay for that flight to take us to Brazil. And these are little things.”
Mikel also mentioned that in his playing days, there were occasions when the NFF chose poor hotels for the players, prompting him to pay for another hotel by himself.
“I had to sort out my hotel because the hotel they provided for us were so bad to stay in. I had to move to somewhere more conducive for players to perform,” Mikel added.
Despite Mikel's revelations, it seems the NFF are past that phase, as in recent years, they have been quite solid with their logistics.
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nff oya .. walele walele wer u dey walele .oya make nna tell wer u n na dey .nffspoke ne va retire wale le .
Michael obi say he paid for flight.a day before game in Brazil Olympic games 2016. .. I remember den dey went from airport to. hotel and stadium immediately to beat Japan wil wide score
Who send u? wen u perform philanthropic act for ur country, is seen as an act of charity. years later it is very stupid to come on line to discuss ur act of charity. others has done more than that. that’s why it called donations, sponsorship or grant.
You youYou sound like sound like
Are you really with your senses?
you non well seriously you need to be check by a Doctor.. you call that charity
you no get sense at all you normally you fit dash person money much more paying for flight from Nigeria to Brazil 7hrs flight o with 23 players and staff o. no man your a joker man.
Doing someone’s duty when same person is folding his hands taking the reward is foolishness. Use your brain.
If he is rich he should not help government but the people.
Mikel is right to have open the wicked act of NFF because it is the only way things like this can be corrected
You’re sounding like uneducated person, why can’t Nigeria provide everything necessary for the super eagles that wants to go and make us proud
I don’t like people criticising negatively. No wonder, the present NNF Chairman is from his place. please Malam Gusau wasn’t the the NFF Boss the. Cool your ethnic emotions.
First of, it wasn’t it responsibility and till date has the NFF changed from such pathetic and shameful narrative. How dare you berate someone for what he did?
Being responsible is something you probably know nothing about going by your comment, you better start to recognize and appreciate heroes like this who didn’t only give to save us from embarrassment but also talk about the ills just so we can start to do better. You better start thinking right and stop being a pathetic hater.
Your grammar alone is causing me brain disorder. You might have a skull but I don’t think there’s any form of brain matter in it from your comment it’s obvious your skull is filled with cobweb.
nanwao
you no get sense at all you normally you fit dash person money much more paying for flight from Nigeria to Brazil 7hrs flight o with 23 players and staff o. no man your a joker man.
I suffered a lot representing Nigeria in the All African games….
I advised young people to seek other national who will take care of them
nice one sir,some set of people will steal money ment for your provision and some people will be here talking rubbish
look at the English team preparation during the last euro game,there hotels was home away from home
those NFf are bonch of oles,I remember during mikels playing days that’s not the only time he has single handedly paid for hotels oooo,the team got to there destination and there was no reservation made.
take a look at the women basketball team ,after breaking records in Olympus,the association want to sack the coach so they can employ someone else and still money.thank God for the intervention of Mr president
you no get sense at all you normally you fit dash person money much more paying for flight from Nigeria to Brazil 7hrs flight o with 23 players and staff o. no man your a joker man.
I no blame you,you r a product of the society sha
small thing way government go do for you , you go believe say na help or Gods favor
hmmmm,Nigerian government has finished our minds and sens of reasoning ,so now you r saying is a good thing he paid
tell me wen u hear say cR7 or messi paid for any hotel bills or fight tikets .bross make we they they think we’ll oooo before we talk.peace
Mikel Obi you’re a foolish boy. This is the second time you’re coming online to talk rubbish. You brag too much. Fuck off
Mikel did not pay for the flight to Brazil. Delta airlines transported the team pro brono as a CSR!
This is more reason government should promote private sector participation in sports.
Such move would not only gain for the nation fame and fortune but create job opportunities for the teeming population of youths.
Obi Na fool. That guy is so foolish and rude. Gosh! I so hate this oversabi mouth of his trying to form ascent, Ogun kiiiii u der
neymar paid his friends big salary just to hang around him
this idiot keep dragging everybody including his immediate family on every little money he spent
Femi Henry chicken get brain pass you
Mikel, biko since when u becomes Nigeria ambassador? If NFF declined for providing an aircraft to facilitate the team to participate in any games. Bro, let’s the whole team go back to their family’s, I wish u used the money that u paid for an aircraft to Brazil and hotel as u said! to support the less privileged one’s instead of assisted Nigeria government and NFF doing their duty. mikel, the Igbo’s are very dissatisfied with u. We cannot believe this’s our son acting like goat. Who does that?
Mikel na over- sabi worry u
SO Obi is now a fool for pointing out the inadequacy of the NFA while he played for the country? What if he didn’t come to the rescue of the team at that time in particular?
You’re very stupid