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John Shittu denies ever offering Siasia €50,000 to include Mikel Obi in Nigeria’s 2008 Olympic squad.
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Siasia claims he turned down the offer since Mikel missed the qualifiers.
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The revelation has sparked debate, but Shittu says the story isn’t true.
John Shittu, who holds a FIFA agent license and represented Mikel Obi through much of his career, insists he never offered Samson Siasia €50,000 to push Mikel into Nigeria’s 2008 Olympic squad.
Also Read: “They Offered Me €50k” – Siasia Explains Why He Dropped Mikel from Olympic Squad
This claim came up during Siasia’s appearance on Elegbete TV, where he said Shittu contacted him after Mikel skipped the qualifier against Ghana.
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Even though the agent supposedly made the offer and Siasia says he refused it, that didn’t change the coach’s decision to leave Mikel out of the final 18.
Siasia explained:
“Mikel wasn’t a starter at Chelsea then; he was on the bench,”
“We had one game against Ghana—if he didn’t come, he wouldn’t go anywhere. He said he was playing for Chelsea and wouldn’t join us. His agent then offered me €50,000 so Mikel could play. I said no: he didn’t help us qualify, so he wouldn’t join us.”
Siasia’s remarks rekindled debate over what might’ve occurred should Mikel happen to be part of that dream team.
Even so, it advanced to the Olympic final before falling short against Argentina.
Fans are left wondering if his presence could have changed the outcome.
Shittu, however, sticks by his denial.
He labels the bribery story “completely unfounded” and says it highlights the tough calls coaches face when balancing talent, commitment, and fairness on the international stage.
