hehehehe....Captain of Team Nigeria to next month’s Olympics, John Mikel Obi, has
described his appointment as ‘overwhelming’ and promised to carry
everyone along.
Speaking from the U-23 team’s camp in Atlanta, Georgia, the Chelsea
midfielder told thenff.com: “First and foremost, I will say I am
overwhelmed with this opportunity to be the captain of Team Nigeria to
the Rio Olympics. This is the highest accolade you can ever have as a
sportsman and it’s one I am really looking forward to.
“I am much pleased and very happy with myself for what I have been
able to achieve, and grateful to the Federal Ministry of Youth and
Sports and the entire country for this opportunity.
“My objective is definitely going to be to carry everyone along. I
think it’s important that we all work together, it’s important that we
all set one goal, and that goal is to be successful, to win medals, to
make sure we get gold medals. Our country has not done very well in
recent times at the Olympics, so hopefully we can go to Rio and do
well.”
The 29-year-old, who is one of the over-aged players in Samson
Siasia’s team, also dismissed talk that the appointment was a burden on
him.
“It’s massive, it’s big, it’s not just the football team. I am the
captain of the Super Eagles. Sometimes you look at it and you think
that’s a big burden, but this is even much bigger, it’s one that I am
looking forward to,” he added.
“If you look at my track record at Chelsea, I have always played for
the team, I have always been a team player, I have never been an
individual player, so I think this is something I will be carrying into
the Olympics and carry into Team Nigeria to make sure that we are
successful.”
John Mikel Obi’s selection as Team Nigeria’s flag bearer at next month’s
Olympic Games in Rio, has sparked off some controversies.
Leader of the 85-man contigent to the competition, Christian Ohaa,
hailed the Chelsea midfielder’s patriotism, but some observers feel
either table tennis star, Segun Toriola or sprint sensation, Blessing
Okagbare, would have been more deserving.
“I’m surprised with Mikel’s selection because this is his debut at the Olympics,” sports analyst, Olawale Ishola, said.
“This was possibly to honour him, but I hope it will not cause a rancour in the contingent.
“I would have picked Toriola or Okagbare ahead of Mikel.”
Nigeria will take part in eight sports – football, canoeing, rowing,
athletics, table tennis, boxing, weightlifting and wrestling.
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