Former Super Eagles Coach Jo Bonfrere Says He Never Got 1996 Olympic Gold Medal

Former Super Eagles coach Jo Bonfrere says he has never received the Olympic gold medal or reward owed to him for leading Nigeria to victory in the men's football tournament at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Bonfrere made the statement in an interview with CreativeLordTV in Ebonyi State. He was there for the opening of Chief Agueze's country home on Saturday, October 10, 2026. When asked whether promises made to him after Nigeria's gold-medal win had been kept, the 80-year-old Dutch coach said through an interpreter that the medal had never reached him. "I have never seen the gold. That's the problem, so I don't know how it looks. I don't know how the gold medal looks because I have never received it," he said. The interpreter added that Bonfrere had spent 30 years without receiving his reward, even though players and other officials were said to have been compensated. "Every player has received, even the reward, every player and official. So after 30 years, I have never received my reward," the interpreter said while relaying the coach's account. The interpreter also said Bonfrere had resisted pressure from a minister to pick certain players, maintaining that he needed to choose the squad he thought could win the competition. According to the account, the minister pressed him repeatedly to use specific players, but Bonfrere insisted on making his own selections to achieve victory. Nigeria defeated Argentina 3-2 in the final at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, becoming the first African country to win gold in men's Olympic football.