Osimhen cost Nigeria the AFCON title – Sunday Oliseh

By Editor

Former Super Eagles captain and coach Sunday Oliseh has accused Victor Osimhen of playing a decisive role in Nigeria’s failure to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Oliseh says that Osimhen’s outburst on the pitch at teammate Ademola Lookman affected the team’s spirit very negatively and at a critical stage of the tournament.

The Super Eagles rounded off their campaign with a third-place medal, but Oliseh believes that the team could have done better if not for what happened in the Round-of-16 match against Mozambique, which Nigeria won by 4-0.

Ademola Lookman provided two assists, while Osimhen scored twice. Yet the result was overshadowed by an incident in the second half, when Osimhen angrily confronted Lookman for not passing the ball to him when he appeared to be in a good scoring position.

Oliseh argues that the team’s chemistry and confidence were affected from that point on. The statistics appear to support part of his case. For Oliseh, the connection is clear.

Sunday Oliseh has this to say via his YouTube Channel, “Victor Osimhen is the reason Nigeria did not win the AFCON trophy in Morocco.”

The former Super Eagles coach elaborated, “Let’s examine the toxicity that may have cost us the AFCON title. We are confusing talent with a license to disrupt team chemistry. Victor Osimhen is world-class, but talent does not grant permission to damage team dynamics. Consider the evidence: since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, one of our brightest players, Lookman has become a shadow of his former self, and we lost our edge.

“When you publicly diminish your teammates, you break their spirit. You undermine the very confidence required for a team to succeed in a semifinal. Against a tactically sharp team like Morocco, we needed our best players performing at their peak. Statistically, Ademola Lookman was the most dangerous player in the tournament until that public verbal attack broke his focus. You can’t expect a playmaker to perform miracles on the pitch when he has been demoralized by his own teammate.

“The conflict caused significant damage. We didn’t just lose a game; we lost the psychological edge needed to win the title. What is worse, and frankly, what is most dangerous for our football, is the fan culture that now tolerates this behavior.”

Oliseh took a look back at a previous poor incident that involved Osimhen when he insulted the Super Eagles coach in an Instagram live event.

“Scoring goals for Nigeria does not give you a license to disrespect certified legends like Finidi George or Victor Ikpeba. It does not entitle you to disrespect your coaches or teammates. If we don’t address discipline and administration issues, there won’t be a Super Eagles left to support.”