Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel once again spoke up against corruption in the country's sporting system and the debt he believes he is owed after the Rio 2016 Olympic games debacle John Obi Mikel has lifted the lid on one of the most embarrassing chapters in Nigerian football, revealing how corruption and mismanagement nearly derailed the country’s participation in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Speaking to former England striker Peter Crouch on his podcast, the ex-Chelsea midfielder disclosed that he personally paid for the national team’s flight to Brazil, and is still waiting to be reimbursed eight years later. 'I had to pay for it'— Mikel slams officials for Olympic chaos As Nigeria’s under-23 team prepared to depart for Rio in 2016, panic set in. Mikel recalled how, despite the government approving the budget, funds never reached the players. “Talk about the corruption where a budget has been signed by the government. Somebody sitting on top of that money didn’t release it,” he said. Players and staff were stranded in a hotel, unsure if they’d even make it to Brazil. “Everyone was thinking ‘how are we going to get there?’ There was no money to pay for flights.” With the clock ticking and morale crumbling, Mikel stepped in. “I spoke to the coach; he looked for a plane, and I had to pay for it. I had to fund it.” However, Mikel revealed that he was never compensated, adding, “We got there and I thought now I’m going to be reimbursed my money, [but] up till today, I still haven’t. That’s the mentality. It’s John Obi Mikel, he can afford it. But it’s not that, it’s the principle, it’s the respect.” Corruption nearly denied Nigeria an Olympic medal Mikel had previously hinted at the corruption during interviews, but his full account further exposes the dysfunction in sports governance. According to him, the Nigeria Football Federation and Olympic Committee failed to coordinate the team’s travel, leading to chaos at the airport. In a previous interview, Mikel said, “We waited from morning till night for a flight. There was in-fighting over who would pick up the tab,” he explained. Mikel’s decision to foot the bill spared the nation a global embarrassment, and led to Nigeria clinching a bronze medal.