Former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, has blamed Victor Osimhen for Nigeria’s failure to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Nigeria finished the tournament with a bronze medal after losing to host country Morocco in the semi-final.
Oliseh said the problem started when Osimhen had a public argument with teammate Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s Round-of-16 match against Mozambique, which the Super Eagles won 4-0.
According to Oliseh, Osimhen was angry because Lookman did not pass the ball to him when he was in a good position to score.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Oliseh said this incident damaged the team’s unity and affected their performance later in the tournament.
He explained that although Osimhen is a world-class player, talent does not give any player the right to disrespect teammates.
Oliseh said that after the public outburst, Lookman’s confidence dropped and his performance declined, even though he had been one of Nigeria’s best players earlier in the competition.
He added that when players are publicly criticized by their teammates, it destroys team spirit and confidence, which are very important in big matches.
Oliseh said Nigeria needed all their key players at their best against a strong and intelligent Moroccan side, but the internal conflict affected the team mentally.
According to him, the Super Eagles did not only lose the match, but also lost the mental strength needed to win the tournament.
Oliseh also warned that it is dangerous for Nigerian football if fans continue to support such behaviour among players.
