Chelsea legend and former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel, has revealed that eight years after personally funding a flight for Nigeria’s football team to attend the 2016 Rio Olympics, he has still not been reimbursed by football authorities in the country.
Speaking on his podcast as shared by The Pickers, Mikel expressed frustration over the lack of appreciation and respect he received despite leading Nigeria to win a Bronze medal at the Olympics. He explained that the team was on the verge of missing the tournament due to poor preparation and lack of logistics support from Nigerian officials.
“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 recounted how the players, many of whom were attending their first major tournament, were left in limbo without a flight to Brazil. Mikel took matters into his own hands by securing and paying for a private plane.
“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 be reimbursed my money but up till now, I haven’t been refunded… that’s the mentality,” he said.
The former midfielder noted that the officials likely assumed he could afford it, but stressed that the issue wasn’t about the money—it was about principle and respect.
“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,” he added.
Despite the financial setback, Mikel said he found joy in seeing the young players return home with medals, calling the achievement more valuable than any money spent.
“You know we finished third. But it was still a massive achievement and for me to see that those young players went back to their families knowing that they got a medal was more than the money.”
Mikel’s commitment came at a personal cost. He lost his place in Antonio Conte’s Chelsea squad due to his decision to represent Nigeria in Rio, and he never played for the club again. He eventually moved to China to continue his career.