Samson Siasia Reveals What He Can’t Tolerate About Mikel Obi

Former Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia has revealed that the only good thing “stubborn” John Mikel Obi did was to join him at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil and play well at the tournament.

The relationship between Samson Siasia and Mikel Obi has come a long way. The former Chelsea midfielder was part of Siasia’s under-20 national team that won silver at the 2005 under-20 FIFA World Cup.

Before then, Mikel Obi was part of Siasia’s team that won the 2005 African Youth Championship. The coach also led Obi at the senior national team between 2010 and 2011, and also in 2016.

Despite the lengthy relationship that existed between the two Nigerian football icons, the 56-year-old tactician said the 36-year-old retired footballer has a kind of stubbornness he can’t tolerate.

Samson Siasia, who stated this during a podcast with ex-Nigeria international Emmanuel Babayaro and journalist Mathew Edafe last weekend, noted Obi acted like a captain during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in which Nigeria won bronze.

The coach said, “Mikel is a little bit out of my list; he is stubborn. I can not tolerate people like that much. The only good thing he did was that he came and played very well in the Olympics. He acted as a captain.”