Former Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju, has called for accountability amid the growing controversy over Mikel Obi’s claims that he made personal payment for a chartered flight to convey the U23 Eagles to the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
Mikel claimed he personally paid for a flight to transport the Nigerian Olympic team to Brazil after they were left stranded.
However, Samson Siasia who coach the team denied the claim, insisting it was false and challenged Mikel to provide evidence of the alleged payment.
Speaking on Brila.net, Adepoju stressed the need for the issue to be handled internally, expressing concern over the public nature of the dispute.
“I believe it should be an in house matter. One would not know who to believe, because he [Siasia] was the coach and has every right to debunk it,” Adepoju stated.
“Whichever may be the case, I think the NFF was there and it isn’t the responsibility of a player to pay for a flight ticket.
“The NFF has to clear the air on this situation. In my own view, this should not be something that should be
dragged in public.”
Adepoju acknowledged that while it is understandable for a player to cover the cost of a personal trip to join the national team, it would be highly irregular for a player to foot the bill for the entire team’s travel to a tournament.
He added: “Siasia has coached Mikel across different levels, so I don’t think they should be dragging themselves in public.”
