Former Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia, has been hit with a 14-day ultimatum to apologise and pay ₦250 million to a top FIFA-licensed football agent, John Shittu, over a bribery allegation the latter says is false, damaging, and deeply injurious to his reputation.
PREMIUM TIMES obtained on Friday a copy of Shittu’s pre-action notice threatening to institute a suit against Siasia if he fails to meet the demands before the expiration of the ultimatum.
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The notice, issued on Shittu’s behalf by Lagos-based law firm Godwin Dick Inyang & Co., comes in response to recent remarks by Siasia during a widely circulated interview on Elegbete TV published on Monday, 30 June on YouTube.
In the disputed interview, Siasia claimed that Mikel’s agent at the time offered him €50,000 to facilitate the inclusion of the then-Chelsea midfielder in Nigeria’s U-23 squad for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
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Siasia alleged that the offer was made after Mikel failed to honour national call-ups during the qualifiers, insisting he could not justify dropping any player who helped secure Nigeria’s qualification just to accommodate the midfielder.
“Mikel wasn’t a starter at Chelsea then, he was on the bench,” Siasia claimed during the interview.
“I told him we only had one game against Ghana to play – ‘please come and help us’. I said if he doesn’t come, he won’t go anywhere. But Mikel refused to come, saying he was playing for Chelsea.
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“Going to the Olympics, Mikel wants to come and play. His agent said he would give me €50,000 so Mikel should play.
“I said it’s not about €50,000. He didn’t play the qualifiers, so I will take out someone that qualified us and bring you in? It won’t happen. That’s why Mikel didn’t go.”
Shittu’s legal complaint maintained that the allegations by Siasia, now widely published by media platforms such as Sahara Reporters and Soccernet.ng, are categorically false and amount to a deliberate attempt to smear Mr Shittu’s character.
The letter described the statement as “malicious and grossly defamatory,” noting that it has severely tarnished Mr Shittu’s reputation in local and international football communities.
Demands
The letter, signed by principal solicitor Godwin Inyang, demanded a comprehensive public retraction of the defamatory comments on all platforms where they were originally published. In addition, it called for the publication of a formal written apology in at least two widely circulated national newspapers, including The Punch and ThisDay, and online news sites where the remarks gained traction.
It further demanded a written assurance from Siasia that he would refrain from making any similar or related defamatory statements against Shittu in the future.
The firm also demanded financial compensation in the sum of ₦250 million to cover defamation damages, including loss of reputation, goodwill, and other consequential damages suffered by the agent as a result of the statement.
According to the letter dated 3 July, Siasia has been given 14 days from receipt to comply with the demands or face full legal action, including a lawsuit seeking aggravated damages, a court-ordered injunction, and further relief the court may deem appropriate.
According to Shittu’s legal representative, the pre-notice has been sent to Siasia, but PREMIUM TIMES cannot confirm receipt by the former Super Eagles coach.
Attempts at speaking with Siasia were unsuccessful as he did not pick up his call or respond to the messages sent to his phone at the time of filing this report.
READ ALSO: Ex-Nigerian footballer arrested for alleged cocaine smuggling
Another stormy chapter
The development deepens the legal cloud over the former national team coach, whose career has been marred by earlier sanctions. In 2019, Siasia was handed a life ban by FIFA after being found guilty of agreeing to accept bribes in connection with match-fixing. Though the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later reduced the sanction to a five-year suspension, the incident remains a stain on his professional history.
While unrelated to the FIFA case, the current dispute has stirred renewed scrutiny around issues of ethics and accountability in Nigerian football.
As the 14-day deadline looms, whether Siasia will comply with the legal demands or prepare for a public legal battle in the courts remains to be seen.
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