Iconic footballer Jay Jay Okocha has revealed that the Nigerian Football Association abandoned the national team during the 1996 Olympics, despite the team winning the gold medal.
The legendary African footballer described winning gold with Nigeria in Atlanta as the highest moment of his career, especially given the difficult circumstances surrounding the achievement.
The former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder shared that while the team was camping in the United States, their coach suddenly departed without notice, leaving the players stunned.
Subsequent inquiries revealed that the FA had failed to pay the coach’s salary, prompting his decision to leave.
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“My greatest moment in football was winning the Olympics because we only got one chance and we won the gold. It’s on record that we were the first African team to win Olympic gold, that’s Atlanta 1996. It’s special to me because of what we went through.
“People only see the end product, but they don’t see the process. The process was tough. While training in America, we woke up one day and the coach was gone because the FA hadn’t paid him,” he said in an interview with the 9japr247 channel, shared on TikTok.
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The two-time BBC African Footballer of the Year further revealed that the situation worsened when their feeding and accommodation bills were left unpaid.
To avoid embarrassment and ensure the team’s success, he and his teammates pooled their resources to settle the debts and cover their expenses until the end of the tournament.
“For about a week, the hotel we were staying in kept serving us the same meal, rice and sauce with chicken every day. So we made inquiries and were told the FA hadn’t paid for the food and accommodation.
“A few of us had to put our cards together to pay for the hotel, and then we rented mini vans to stay in camp. It shows the desire we had,” he added.
Watch Okocha’s remarks below:
@9japr247 The Nigerian FA failed to pay for our accommodation and feeding during the Atlanta 1996 Olympics – Jay Jay Okocha. #9japr247 Credit – @The Long Form Podcast ♬ Atmosphere7458 – SoSimpleAudio
SB/EB
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