Mikel Obi Saves Nigeria From Disaster, Pays $4,000 For Release Of Dream Team VI Held Hostage In Sau Paulo Hotel Over Unpaid Bills

Team captain Mikel John Obi

Nigeria’s U-23 Dream team VI nearly missed their flight to Salvador, where they are to face Denmark in an Olympic quarter-final match, because they were held ransom in Sau Paulo over unpaid hotel bills incurred by additional officials, who should not be in Brazil in the first place.

It would have been a Sport disaster and national embarrassment for Nigeria if the team were unable to show up in Salvador for the match against Denmark. However the looming national disgrace was averted when team captain Mikel John Obi paid the additional $4,000 from his personal money. This made it possible for the Nigeria Olympic football team to eventually catch their flight to Salvador.

It is gathered that organizers of the Games, insisted on a team of 25 players – 18 players and seven officials. But, typical of Nigeria, extra five officials were included in the team, which therefore shifts the responsibility of offsetting the bills of those officials to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

“We just arrived Salvador now from Sao Paolo. We nearly missed our flight because of unpaid bills in the hotel. The hotel held us to ransom,” one official told AfricanFootball.com

“The problem is that all the additional officials here in Brazil are the responsibility of the Nigeria Football Federation, who said they will pay for them, but they did not pay for them again.

“The affected officials included the team’s media officer, the team coordinator, the kits manager in charge of players and officials’ kits and the accompanying assistant director technical.

“A call was put across to the honourable minister of youths and sports, he said we should put the bill in the (credit) card but the card didn’t work. They tried and tried but the minister said that only 18 players and seven officials should be captured as regards payment according to the rules of the Olympic Games.

“So, the hotel bills of these other officials, about five of them cost the sum of over $4,000. They held us hostage for more than one hour and we nearly missed our flight. It was Mikel (Obi) who rescued us by paying the money.

“I can tell you honestly speaking that this incident is not the fault of the minister because the minister listed the people to be accommodated which were 18 players and seven officials.”