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Nigeria Super Eagles legend Austin Okocha. Photo by IMAGO <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Super Eagles<\/a> football legend Austin \u2018Jay-Jay’ Okocha has lifted the lid on the chaos and hardship Nigeria\u2019s Dream Team endured on their way to Olympic gold in Atlanta 1996, Soccernet.ng reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The Super Eagles stunned the world that summer, beating Brazil 4-3 in the semi-final and then toppling Argentina 3-2 in the final to become the first African side to win Olympic football gold.<\/p>\n But nearly three decades later, Austin Okocha<\/a> has revealed just how close the team came to falling apart before making history.<\/p>\n Speaking in a recent interview<\/a>, the former Bolton Wanderers playmaker admits winning gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics is the greatest moment of gis career. Okocha, however, confessed that the triumph came with tough challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s in record because we were the first African footballing team to win Atalanta 1996,\u201d Okocha said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is special for me because of what we went through. People only see the end product, but they don’t really see the process; what was that like?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Get Our Sports News First \u2013 Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The 51-year-old, who played for PSG and came close to joining Arsenal and Manchester United<\/a>, recalled shocking scenes in the team\u2019s American training camp.<\/p>\n \u201cWe camped in America, and we woke up one day, our training coach was gone, and the bus was also gone. They took it with the spare key because the (Nigerian) FA hadn’t paid,\u201d Okocha revealed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For days, players were left eating little more than rice and sauce as hotel staff threatened to evict them over unpaid bills.<\/p>\n \u201cFor like a week, the hotel gave us the same meal. It was just like rice and sauce every day, rice and sauce. They said we should be glad that we’re still here because our FA had not paid for the food and for the accommodation,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In the end, Okocha and a few senior players dipped into their own pockets to keep the camp running.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, a few of us had to bring our card (debit) to pay for the accommodation and then went and rented minivans to stay in camp,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The struggles made Nigeria\u2019s run even more remarkable.<\/p>\n Against Brazil, Nwankwo Kanu<\/a>\u2019s extra-time \u201cgolden goal\u201d completed one of the most dramatic comebacks in Olympic history. In the final, Emmanuel Amuneke<\/a> latched onto a clever free kick to secure gold in front of a stunned Atlanta crowd.<\/p>\n The squad included some of Nigeria\u2019s greatest-ever talents: Okocha, Kanu, Sunday Oliseh, Emmanuel Amuneke and Tijani Babangida and their triumph remains one of the nation\u2019s proudest sporting moments.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/H_BB3xkB-mKZNf5MRQSJ9vEU6eE=\/750x1126\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fsoccernet.ng%2Fapp%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F12%2Fimago1015584785.jpg\")
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