Nigeria skipper at the 2016 Olympic Games, John Obi Mikel, has confirmed that the squad had financial problems ahead of the competition especially during their training camp in Atlanta.
It would be recalled that nigeriasoccernet.com consistently reported that the Dream Team skipped their workouts on several occasions while in America because there was no bus to take them to training, and they found it difficult to take their meals if the Chelsea midfielder did not act as a father figure.
“It wasn’t a great experience in the build-up in Atlanta. There was no food for the guys, no bus to go to training, no pitch to train on,’’ Mikel explained to chelseafc.com.
“Coming into the team I tried to help as much as I can. The boys had suffered for two years, working very hard trying to play in Rio.
“I wanted to help as much as I could and they all say they owe me. It’s a great achievement that we managed to go there and win a medal.’’
Mikel, 29, brought his Olympic bronze medal to Cobham, the training ground of Chelsea, on Friday.
He will make his 250th appearance for the Blues in the Premier League if he features against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday, September 11.
credit: allnigeriasoccer