Chelsea's Mikel denies Conte's Olympic rift
Away on international duty skippering Nigeria, Chelsea midfielder Mikel John Obi clarified comments by Super Eagles boss Gernot Rohr, who stated that he's in Antonio Conte's doghouse because of participation in the summer Olympics.
Mikel has yet to make an appearance for Chelsea this season, prompting Rohr's comments claiming the 29-year-old is being punished for leaving Conte's preseason camp prematurely to captain Nigeria's Olympic side.
"I’d like to clarify that the recent media claims I’ve been punished by Chelsea FC for participating at the Rio 2016 Olympics are completely inaccurate," Mikel said Sunday, courtesy of the Evening Standard's Simon Johnson.
"Unfortunately comments made by Gernot Rohr before yesterday’s 3-1 win over Algeria were both mistranslated and taken out of context by the Nigerian media, as English isn’t Mr Rohr’s or much of the Nigerian media’s first language."
Related - Watch: Mikel checks with linesman before scoring
Mikel isn't the only player struggling to find a place in Conte's squad, and with the introduction of the 3-5-2 formation, Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante have secured the two deep-lying midfielder spots. Oscar and Cesc Fabregas have also been relegated to the bench in Conte's system, as the Blues enjoy a stellar run of form.
Playing or not, Mikel conceded that he and Conte are on good terms.
"The manager gave me his full blessing to participate at the Olympics, and even encouraged me to bring back the gold medal - something I spoke to the media about at the time," he said.
"My only focus now is on winning more silverware with Chelsea and getting Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup, two challenges I can’t wait to face in the coming months."