Did Mikel lie about the flight tickets to Rio?

[metalalloy]

I meant, we still don't know if Mikel covered any shortfall for the flight that actually took them to Brazil. According to the article, the money sent to the agent by the NOC was reportedly insufficient to cover the hotel fees and flight. So, someone must have come up with funds to cover the shortfall. Maybe this is where Mikel comes into the equation re funds for the flight.

That's highly unlikely since Delta agreed to temporarily cover the bill for that flight that actually got them to Rio. I can't imagine Mikel would agree to reimburse Delta after they had arrived in Atlanta.

The shortfall was related to the original charter, and the sports ministry allegedly sent $174,000 to the NFF's ticketing agent (Jairo Pachon I believe).


As usual, nothing is clear in Naija. From my uninformed view, it seems that the NFF released some funds for an initial charter, the agent claimed it wasn't enough for flights and unpaid hotel bills and refused to transport them. Yemi Idowu organized a charter for them that was rejected as too small, and finally Delta stepped up, offered to transport them with a promise to be paid later.

So the question remains what happened to that original $174K that the NFF sent to the agent if Delta was subsequently reimbursed for transporting them.



Have you had a chance to watch the original thread?
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=273380

I'll read the original thread. Thanks.

You seem to be glossing over the reimbursement. Are you assuming the Nigerian government reimbursed Delta? Do we have proof that they did, and if not, who did?

I have no clue bro. I am assuming the Nigerian govt or NFF did, but who knows.

[Lolly]

Exposed: The untold story of Siasia, NFF, Yemi Idowu and U23 Dream Team
Solomon Dalung, Amaju Pinnick, Samson Siasia & the U23 Team


Nigeria’s under-23 Olympic football team made international headlines few days ago for the wrong reasons after stories emerged of how the team was ‘stranded’ in Atlanta and had to be ‘rescued’ by Delta Airlines. Little did many know that the real hero was Yemi Idowu, a Nigerian businessman, sports philanthropist and enthusiast, who spent $ 300,000 from his personal pockets to provide an aircraft to fly the Dream Team from Atlanta long before Delta Airlines provided an alternate flight plan?

......

Thanks for sharing. Wow, what a mess!

According to the article, the sports minister and the NOC were well aware that the team was in Atlanta preparing for the competition. However, the article fails to clarify some of the confusion. Apart from reading like a propaganda piece in defense of Dalung and the NOC, we still don't know who actually paid for the flight that eventually took them there, if the money sent to the agent was not enough. What happened to the plane that Yemi Idowu paid for? Did Mikel step in and cover the shortfall for the flight? Many questions remain unanswered.

In situations like this, you address the immediate problem to avert the crisis and then punish the people at fault later, after a thorough investigation. So, even if this article is true, and not just a propaganda piece to absolve certain parties, I still hold the NOC and Dalung responsible for dereliction of duty.

The thing was a complete mess and who knows what really happened. That being said, if the charter that Yemi Idowu presented was rejected, then I presume it didn't fly, so there shouldn't have been anything for any one to cover. Delta eventually flew them.

IIRC Mikel also paid $4000 for unpaid hotel bills in Sao Paolo.

I meant, we still don't know if Mikel covered any shortfall for the flight that actually took them to Brazil. According to the article, the money sent to the agent by the NOC was reportedly insufficient to cover the hotel fees and flight. So, someone must have come up with funds to cover the shortfall. Maybe this is where Mikel comes into the equation re funds for the flight.

I see how people are trying to work to the answer. The Delta plane was not paid for by anyone.

Maybe the press can get Mikel to tell them which plane he paid for and who he paid. He should have a receipt for $300,000 or his card statement.

Different sources gave different accounts of the mess. Some insist that there was no free Delta flight, while others claim that the flight was free. The only thing they have in common is that they all have missing pieces of the jigsaw.

Perhaps the people who shared the blame for the mess preferred it to be confusing so that no one would be held accountable.

I have not seen any of the main actors claim that we paid Delta for the plane. Even the guys who brokered the deal have said on tape that the plane was free.

[Orion]

I meant, we still don't know if Mikel covered any shortfall for the flight that actually took them to Brazil. According to the article, the money sent to the agent by the NOC was reportedly insufficient to cover the hotel fees and flight. So, someone must have come up with funds to cover the shortfall. Maybe this is where Mikel comes into the equation re funds for the flight.

That's highly unlikely since Delta agreed to temporarily cover the bill for that flight that actually got them to Rio. I can't imagine Mikel would agree to reimburse Delta after they had arrived in Atlanta.

The shortfall was related to the original charter, and the sports ministry allegedly sent $174,000 to the NFF's ticketing agent (Jairo Pachon I believe).


As usual, nothing is clear in Naija. From my uninformed view, it seems that the NFF released some funds for an initial charter, the agent claimed it wasn't enough for flights and unpaid hotel bills and refused to transport them. Yemi Idowu organized a charter for them that was rejected as too small, and finally Delta stepped up, offered to transport them with a promise to be paid later.

So the question remains what happened to that original $174K that the NFF sent to the agent if Delta was subsequently reimbursed for transporting them.



Have you had a chance to watch the original thread?
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=273380

I'll read the original thread. Thanks.

You seem to be glossing over the reimbursement. Are you assuming the Nigerian government reimbursed Delta? Do we have proof that they did, and if not, who did?

I have no clue bro. I am assuming the Nigerian govt or NFF did, but who knows.

You can't ignore such a large part of the equation and assume the people who initially contributed to the mess would just happily pony up the cash. If they were not involved in securing the plane, I doubt they'd be liable for the reimbursement.

Who made the reimbursement is a big part of the puzzle. Until we know who paid the money, we can't rule out the possibility that the $174K and funds provided by Mikel contributed to the cost of the flight.

[metalalloy]

I have no clue bro. I am assuming the Nigerian govt or NFF did, but who knows.

You can't ignore such a large part of the equation and assume the people who initially contributed to the mess would just happily pony up the cash. If they were not involved in securing the plane, I doubt they'd be liable for the reimbursement.

Who made the reimbursement is a big part of the puzzle. Until we know who paid the money, we can't rule out the possibility that the $174K and funds provided by Mikel contributed to the cost of the flight.
[/quote]

I'm not ignoring it, however considering the widely reported circumstances that they surely were aware of, its also very difficult to imagine that Delta would agree to "temporarily" foot the bill without some pretty solid assurances that they would be repaid..

[Orion]

I'm not ignoring it, however considering the widely reported circumstances that they surely were aware of, its also very difficult to imagine that Delta would agree to "temporarily" foot the bill without some pretty solid assurances that they would be repaid..

The report you posted made it clear that the sports minister only learned of the flight arrangement after it had been secured. So he had no hand in it. They couldn't be held liable for it, and I doubt they would have voluntarily settled the bill, as they were already on hostile terms with the team and handlers.

The agent who supposedly received the $174K is the person who secured the Delta flight. We have to assume that the money, plus funds secured from other sources, went to the reimbursement.

[Lolly]

I see how people are trying to work to the answer. The Delta plane was not paid for by anyone.

Maybe the press can get Mikel to tell them which plane he paid for and who he paid. He should have a receipt for $300,000 or his card statement.

Are you certain about this?

Thanks to a tab temporarily picked up by Delta Air Lines for the charter flight, the stranded team is expected to land in Brazil at 2 p.m. local time. This gives the team just enough time to clear customs and stretch before kickoff at 9 p.m.

https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/03/spor ... index.html

Did you miss the following in the same article?

Delta has not only footed the check for a private charter flight for the team from Atlanta to Manaus, but the airline also has put the team up in a hotel for the night in Atlanta.

All this came down to a moment’s notice, according to Delta.

“This is a special occasion, not only because it’s the Olympics,” Delta spokesman Anthony Black said. “Exactly 20 years ago, on this day, the Nigerian football team needed a miracle to beat Argentina to win the gold medal in Atlanta at the Olympics. Today, we are happy to help them with another miracle.”

At least we can now conclude that Mikel did not pay for the plane that took them to Brazil.

[Orion]

I see how people are trying to work to the answer. The Delta plane was not paid for by anyone.

Maybe the press can get Mikel to tell them which plane he paid for and who he paid. He should have a receipt for $300,000 or his card statement.

Are you certain about this?

Thanks to a tab temporarily picked up by Delta Air Lines for the charter flight, the stranded team is expected to land in Brazil at 2 p.m. local time. This gives the team just enough time to clear customs and stretch before kickoff at 9 p.m.

https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/03/spor ... index.html

Did you miss the following in the same article?

Delta has not only footed the check for a private charter flight for the team from Atlanta to Manaus, but the airline also has put the team up in a hotel for the night in Atlanta.

All this came down to a moment’s notice, according to Delta.

“This is a special occasion, not only because it’s the Olympics,” Delta spokesman Anthony Black said. “Exactly 20 years ago, on this day, the Nigerian football team needed a miracle to beat Argentina to win the gold medal in Atlanta at the Olympics. Today, we are happy to help them with another miracle.”

At least we can now conclude that Mikel did not pay for the plane that took them to Brazil.

Use your discernment. Most of what we're hearing and reading about the saga are half-truths and propaganda. This is why there is confusion in the first place. Apparently, Delta did it as a marketing stunt. So, it wouldn't surprise me if they were economical with the truth to the media as part of the stunt. The so-called "check" could have been a loan, and in their marketing piece, they omit the part that says it needs to be repaid.

[Lolly]

I see how people are trying to work to the answer. The Delta plane was not paid for by anyone.

Maybe the press can get Mikel to tell them which plane he paid for and who he paid. He should have a receipt for $300,000 or his card statement.

Are you certain about this?

Thanks to a tab temporarily picked up by Delta Air Lines for the charter flight, the stranded team is expected to land in Brazil at 2 p.m. local time. This gives the team just enough time to clear customs and stretch before kickoff at 9 p.m.

https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/03/spor ... index.html

Did you miss the following in the same article?

Delta has not only footed the check for a private charter flight for the team from Atlanta to Manaus, but the airline also has put the team up in a hotel for the night in Atlanta.

All this came down to a moment’s notice, according to Delta.

“This is a special occasion, not only because it’s the Olympics,” Delta spokesman Anthony Black said. “Exactly 20 years ago, on this day, the Nigerian football team needed a miracle to beat Argentina to win the gold medal in Atlanta at the Olympics. Today, we are happy to help them with another miracle.”

At least we can now conclude that Mikel did not pay for the plane that took them to Brazil.

Use your discernment. Most of what we're hearing and reading about the saga are half-truths and propaganda. This is why there is confusion in the first place. Apparently, Delta did it as a marketing stunt. So, it wouldn't surprise me if they were economical with the truth to the media as part of the stunt. The so-called "check" could have been a loan, and in their marketing piece, they omit the part that says it needs to be repaid.

Delta came to the rescue because they were one of the partners/sponsors of the trip. Their partnership might not have included cash or flights, but they were involved. I watched an interview last year with the guy who organised the trip where he explained everything. I will search for it a post here.

One thing is clear, Mikel did not pay for the flight that took them to Brazil, nor did he pay for smaller plane he and some other players rejected. That’s all I want to clear on this thread.

[Orion]

I see how people are trying to work to the answer. The Delta plane was not paid for by anyone.

Maybe the press can get Mikel to tell them which plane he paid for and who he paid. He should have a receipt for $300,000 or his card statement.

Are you certain about this?

Thanks to a tab temporarily picked up by Delta Air Lines for the charter flight, the stranded team is expected to land in Brazil at 2 p.m. local time. This gives the team just enough time to clear customs and stretch before kickoff at 9 p.m.

https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/03/spor ... index.html

Did you miss the following in the same article?

Delta has not only footed the check for a private charter flight for the team from Atlanta to Manaus, but the airline also has put the team up in a hotel for the night in Atlanta.

All this came down to a moment’s notice, according to Delta.

“This is a special occasion, not only because it’s the Olympics,” Delta spokesman Anthony Black said. “Exactly 20 years ago, on this day, the Nigerian football team needed a miracle to beat Argentina to win the gold medal in Atlanta at the Olympics. Today, we are happy to help them with another miracle.”

At least we can now conclude that Mikel did not pay for the plane that took them to Brazil.

Use your discernment. Most of what we're hearing and reading about the saga are half-truths and propaganda. This is why there is confusion in the first place. Apparently, Delta did it as a marketing stunt. So, it wouldn't surprise me if they were economical with the truth to the media as part of the stunt. The so-called "check" could have been a loan, and in their marketing piece, they omit the part that says it needs to be repaid.

Delta came to the rescue because they were one of the partners/sponsors of the trip. Their partnership might not have included cash or flights, but they were involved. I watched an interview last year with the guy who organised the trip where he explained everything. I will search for it a post here.

One thing is clear, Mikel did not pay for the flight that took them to Brazil, nor did he pay for smaller plane he and some other players rejected. That’s all I want to clear on this thread.

I'm not saying he paid for the whole flight. He said in the interview that they arranged a flight, he had to pay for it, and wasn't reimbursed. That could mean he paid partly for it. It's possible he wasn't aware of the full details of the arrangement, and the money he gave was used as part of the reimbursement to Delta.

Many of the people involved have stated that the Delta flight was NOT free. So why do we have these conflicting accounts? Perhaps both accounts are partly true - it was initially free, with an arrangement for payment later.

In any case, we're only speculating at this point. We don't know the facts, and we may never know. The only person who knows the truth may be the guy who actually secured the flight.

[Lolly]

I see how people are trying to work to the answer. The Delta plane was not paid for by anyone.

Maybe the press can get Mikel to tell them which plane he paid for and who he paid. He should have a receipt for $300,000 or his card statement.

Are you certain about this?

Thanks to a tab temporarily picked up by Delta Air Lines for the charter flight, the stranded team is expected to land in Brazil at 2 p.m. local time. This gives the team just enough time to clear customs and stretch before kickoff at 9 p.m.

https://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/03/spor ... index.html

Did you miss the following in the same article?

Delta has not only footed the check for a private charter flight for the team from Atlanta to Manaus, but the airline also has put the team up in a hotel for the night in Atlanta.

All this came down to a moment’s notice, according to Delta.

“This is a special occasion, not only because it’s the Olympics,” Delta spokesman Anthony Black said. “Exactly 20 years ago, on this day, the Nigerian football team needed a miracle to beat Argentina to win the gold medal in Atlanta at the Olympics. Today, we are happy to help them with another miracle.”

At least we can now conclude that Mikel did not pay for the plane that took them to Brazil.

Use your discernment. Most of what we're hearing and reading about the saga are half-truths and propaganda. This is why there is confusion in the first place. Apparently, Delta did it as a marketing stunt. So, it wouldn't surprise me if they were economical with the truth to the media as part of the stunt. The so-called "check" could have been a loan, and in their marketing piece, they omit the part that says it needs to be repaid.

Delta came to the rescue because they were one of the partners/sponsors of the trip. Their partnership might not have included cash or flights, but they were involved. I watched an interview last year with the guy who organised the trip where he explained everything. I will search for it a post here.

One thing is clear, Mikel did not pay for the flight that took them to Brazil, nor did he pay for smaller plane he and some other players rejected. That’s all I want to clear on this thread.

I'm not saying he paid for the whole flight. He said in the interview that they arranged a flight, he had to pay for it, and wasn't reimbursed. That could mean he paid partly for it. It's possible he wasn't aware of the full details of the arrangement, and the money he gave was used as part of the reimbursement to Delta.

Many of the people involved have stated that the Delta flight was NOT free. So why do we have these conflicting accounts? Perhaps both accounts are partly true - it was initially free, with an arrangement for payment later.

In any case, we're only speculating at this point. We don't know the facts, and we may never know. The only person who knows the truth may be the guy who actually secured the flight.

Here is an interview from last year with the main organiser.

[Orion]

Here is an interview from last year with the main organiser.

Abeg, where in the video did they discuss the Delta flight being free? I can't watch the whole video.

[Lolly]

Here is an interview from last year with the main organiser.

Abeg, where in the video did they discuss the Delta flight being free? I can't watch the whole video.

Skip to the 20:00 and you will hear it loud and clear.

[Orion]

Here is an interview from last year with the main organiser.

Abeg, where in the video did they discuss the Delta flight being free? I can't watch the whole video.

Skip to the 20:00 and you will hear it loud and clear.

Thanks for posting this video. I don't know why there is still so much speculation when the information is out there from the horse's mouth. Cellular, you need to explain yourself.

We just have to take Mr Jinadu's account as the truth, and that Obi was lying.

I also like the clarification that the reason they were stuck in Atlanta was because they couldn't get last-minute flights to Rio. Mr. Bunmi Jinadu and the NFF are to blame for this, as they did not plan ahead.

[Lolly]

Here is an interview from last year with the main organiser.

Abeg, where in the video did they discuss the Delta flight being free? I can't watch the whole video.

Skip to the 20:00 and you will hear it loud and clear.

Thanks for posting this video. I don't know why there is still so much speculation when the information is out there from the house's mouth. Cellular, you need to explain yourself.

We just have to take Mr Jinadu's account as the truth, and that Obi was lying.

I also like the clarification that the reason they were stuck in Atlanta was because they couldn't get last-minute flights to Rio. Mr Bunmi Jinadu is partly to blame for this for not planning ahead.

All the speculation is because people don’t want to believe that Mikel lied. Have you heard from Mikel since Siasia challenged him?

To be honest, the organisers and Siasia didn’t get the full buy-in of the Minister and the NOC before embarking on the trip. It appears the government didn’t want the team to go to Atlanta, but Siasia pushed it through. And could it be because he had a stake in the events planned around the training camp or because it was his home state? We don’t know. Either way, they didn’t plan it properly and were relying on funds from the organisers to pay their bills. If you listen to the full interview, you would hear Jinadu say he lost money because an important match was cancelled and he had to refund ticket money. And It also appears it wasn’t his responsibility to arrange the flight from Atlanta to Brazil.

But one must wonder whether Siasia had an agreement with the Minister to pay for their flight from Atlanta to Brazil. I sincerely doubt he did.

[Orion]

Here is an interview from last year with the main organiser.

Abeg, where in the video did they discuss the Delta flight being free? I can't watch the whole video.

Skip to the 20:00 and you will hear it loud and clear.

Thanks for posting this video. I don't know why there is still so much speculation when the information is out there from the house's mouth. Cellular, you need to explain yourself.

We just have to take Mr Jinadu's account as the truth, and that Obi was lying.

I also like the clarification that the reason they were stuck in Atlanta was because they couldn't get last-minute flights to Rio. Mr Bunmi Jinadu is partly to blame for this for not planning ahead.

All the speculation is because people don’t want to believe that Mikel lied. Have you heard from Mikel since Siasia challenged him?

To be honest, the organisers and Siasia didn’t get the full buy-in of the Minister and the NOC before embarking on the trip. It appears the government didn’t want the team to go to Atlanta, but Siasia pushed it through. And could it be because he had a stake in the events planned around the training camp or because it was his home state? We don’t know. Either way, they didn’t plan it properly and were relying on funds from the organisers to pay their bills. If you listen to the full interview, you would hear Jinadu say he lost money because an important match was cancelled and he had to refund ticket money. And It also appears it wasn’t his responsibility to arrange the flight from Atlanta to Brazil.

But one must wonder whether Siasia had an agreement with the Minister to pay for their flight from Atlanta to Brazil. I sincerely doubt he did.

It's possible Siasia was a stakeholder in the deal.

It's a classic case of a plan that looked good on paper but was different in reality. They had no backup plan for unforeseen events. The financier of the whole thing, Bunmi Jinadu, is to blame at least for the unpaid hotel bills, even though he presented himself as the hero after securing the Delta flight. It's unclear who was responsible for arranging their onward flights to Rio. That person should have been aware of the flight situation from Atlanta to Rio before they even left Nigeria.

[metalalloy]

Did you miss the following in the same article?

Delta has not only footed the check for a private charter flight for the team from Atlanta to Manaus, but the airline also has put the team up in a hotel for the night in Atlanta.


At least we can now conclude that Mikel did not pay for the plane that took them to Brazil.

I did not. I also did not miss the last paragraph in the article that said the following:

After the team rushes to get to their match on time Thursday, all bills will be paid back by the Nigerian Football Federation.

[Lolly]

Did you miss the following in the same article?

Delta has not only footed the check for a private charter flight for the team from Atlanta to Manaus, but the airline also has put the team up in a hotel for the night in Atlanta.


At least we can now conclude that Mikel did not pay for the plane that took them to Brazil.

I did not. I also did not miss the last paragraph in the article that said the following:

After the team rushes to get to their match on time Thursday, all bills will be paid back by the Nigerian Football Federation.

And who’s quote was that?

[metalalloy]

It is not a quote. Its a statement that backs up the initial statement that the Delta temporarily picked up the tab.

[Ugbowo]

Lolly,

You may be privy to your own facts but everything that has transpired means this thing is not that straightforward.

I have said it before, the FACT that Mikel brought out his AMEX to pay for ANYTHING leads me to believe that he was approached to pony up money for a plane.

Now whether that was the plane that eventually took them to Rio, I don't know but I do know there was an issue surrounding payment for many logistics or else the team WON'T board the plane and Mikel speaking to the higher ups in the country to get it resolved.

So just tread carefully while saying he lied.

Everybody get their own tori to tell. If I was Siasia, I would want to kill this story as quickly as possible not add fuel to the fire.

[Lolly]

Lolly,

You may be privy to your own facts but everything that has transpired means this thing is not that straightforward.

I have said it before, the FACT that Mikel brought out his AMEX to pay for ANYTHING leads me to believe that he was approached to pony up money for a plane.

Now whether that was the plane that eventually took them to Rio, I don't know but I do know there was an issue surrounding payment for many logistics or else the team WON'T board the plane and Mikel speaking to the higher ups in the country to get it resolved.

So just tread carefully while saying he lied.

Everybody get their own tori to tell. If I was Siasia, I would want to kill this story as quickly as possible not add fuel to the fire.

Siasia definitely has some questions to answer but he is not wrong that Mikel did not pay for any plane. Most of the stores in the news are half truths trying to cover for one person or the government officials.

I would expect Mikel to come out and tell the world who he paid and how he paid. That shouldn’t be too difficult and would instantly kill the story and vindicate him. In fact, I hope the journalists keep the pressure on him to do so.

[Lolly]

It is not a quote. Its a statement that backs up the initial statement that the Delta temporarily picked up the tab.

Watch the video below and hear the facts from the organiser of the trip.

Here is an interview from last year with the main organiser.

Abeg, where in the video did they discuss the Delta flight being free? I can't watch the whole video.

Skip to the 20:00 and you will hear it loud and clear.

[metalalloy]

It is not a quote. Its a statement that backs up the initial statement that the Delta temporarily picked up the tab.

Watch the video below and hear the facts from the organiser of the trip.

Yea I listened to him this morning, and his story has inconsistencies that made me question the veracity of what he said. Ill take the word of CNN and others in the original thread that contradicted him.

[Lolly]

My job is done.

People are free to believe Siasia, Edafe and Jinadu on one side, or believe Mikel. This is from Mikel’s interview a few weeks after the event when his memory was fresh.

https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/mikel-a ... 4916ee4d46#

Mikel admits he paid his own money to save Nigeria's Olympics

Nizaar Kinsella
10 Sep 2016 20:23+01:00

The Chelsea midfielder has recently returned to London from a successful Rio 2016 campaign and was brutally honest about the extent of the problems...

John Obi Mikel has slammed the Nigeria Football Federation after he was forced to put up his own money to help his country achieve their remarkable bronze medal at Rio 2016.

The Nigeria captain organised travel, paid for meals and booked training pitches while trying to physically and tactically prepare for games.

The bronze medal, Mikel explained, was his country's only moment of glory during the Olympics amid the troubles he had in Brazil.

"I think if we talk about the money that I put into the team I think it was more than [£30,000]," Mikel told Goal. "But we just had to do it.

"I said to myself, 'I won’t let this happen. If I can help, I’ll try to help'. Sometimes there was no food, sometimes there was no pitch to train on, there was no bus to go to the training ground. So all of this was what me and the coach had to figure out, and get money together.

"I came to the camp. I sat down with the boys in Atlanta and I could see the frustration, the pain and the anger. Their aim was to play in the Olympics, their goal was to play in the Olympics.

"And for me being there and seeing what they are going through, they are young boys, they want to start their career and someone in the ministry is trying to crush that dream."

Mikel and his Nigeria team-mates' problems began in the United States as they trained in Atlanta, where Nigeria won a shock gold medal in 1996 after a thrilling 3-2 win over Argentina.

He had to work closely on off-the-pitch arrangements with the Nigeria coach Samson Siasia and told of how, after problems with funding for the flights to the tournament, his team arrived only hours before their first game, which they remarkably still won against Sweden.

"There was just no flight provided by the Nigerian ministry," he added. "We planned to leave three or four days before the tournament, but we ended up leaving the day of our first game. It was a difficult one. I don’t think I have ever seen something like that before, it was crazy.

"[After our last minute flight] we got to the hotel, dropped our bags, grabbed some sandwiches, something to eat. A little bit of food. Then headed straight back to the stadium because we hadn’t even done our accreditations then, so we had to go there and wait in the line, do our accreditation.

"It was absolutely hectic. I don’t know how we managed to go onto the pitch and win that game, it was absolutely mind blowing."

The Chelsea midfielder appeared relaxed and happy after returning home to join up with Antonio Conte's squad this week as they prepare to face Swansea City on Sunday.

He was bursting with pride as he reflected on a successful tournament which culminated with a 3-2 bronze-medal match win over Honduras.

"Sometimes I wear my medal around the house, it gets my missus jealous," he joked as he showed off his medal. "The kids love playing with the medal. I am sure one day they will know what this really means.

"We had lots of problems outside the pitch, but I always told the boys that you shouldn’t let that affect what we came here to do. We still want to achieve what we came here to do. We still have to represent our country and play for ourselves and our family and the people of Nigeria.

"So if the ministry don’t want to take responsibility, we have to make sure we play for ourselves and our country. The boys understand that and we made sure they went along with my message that I kept putting across to them every single day and we managed to achieve what we did achieve."