John Shittu, the former agent of ex-Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi, has denied recent claims by former Nigeria U23 coach Samson Siasia that he offered a €50,000 bribe to have Mikel included in the squad for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Siasia had alleged in an interview that Mikel’s agent approached him with the offer, despite the midfielder not participating in the qualifiers.
“Going to the Olympics, Mikel wanted to come and play. His agent said he would give me €50,000 to include him,” Siasia claimed.
According to Siasia, he rejected the alleged offer and subsequently excluded Mikel from the team, which eventually won a silver medal at the tournament.
Reacting to the allegation in a statement to The Cable, John Shittu refuted the claim and said Siasia had already apologised to him privately.
“I am one of the most respected agents in the game,” Shittu said.
“I don’t engage myself with damaged or inconsequential people.”
The controversy has sparked renewed debate around transparency and influence in Nigerian football team selections, especially for high-profile tournaments.
