John Shittu, the former agent of Super Eagles legend John Obi Mikel, has strongly refuted claims made by former Nigeria U-23 coach, Samson Siasia, regarding an alleged bribe offer linked to the 2008 Olympic Games squad selection.
In a recent interview, Siasia alleged that Shittu offered him €50,000 to include Mikel in the Olympic team despite the midfielder not featuring in the qualification matches.
“Going to the Olympics, Mikel wanted to come and play. His agent said he would give me €50,000 to include him,” Siasia claimed.
Siasia argued that the then-Chelsea midfielder, who opted out of the qualifiers, had no moral standing to join the squad post-qualification.
“He didn’t play the qualifiers. So I should remove someone who helped us qualify to bring him in? It won’t happen. People who played to qualify should go.” he said
As a result of the coach’s refusal, Mikel Obi did not participate in the 2008 Olympics where Nigeria secured a silver medal. However, he would later captain Nigeria’s U-23 team at the 2016 Rio Olympics, leading the side to a bronze medal finish.
Reacting to the bribery allegation, Shittu described the claim as baseless and damaging.
Speaking to TheCable on Tuesday, he said Siasia had privately called to apologize. “I am one of the most respected agents in the game. I don’t engage myself with damaged or inconsequential people.”Shittu said
The agent maintained that he has moved past the controversy and dismissed it as irrelevant.
“As far as I am concerned, it’s a forgotten issue,” he added.
Shittu, who represented Mikel for much of his professional career, expressed disappointment that such claims would resurface after so many years, especially without concrete proof or context.
