Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh believes Victor Osimhen’s public clash with Ademola Lookman had a negative impact on the team and ultimately cost Nigeria a place in the final of the 2025 AFCON tournament, SportPremi reports.
Osimhen angrily confronted Lookman in the second half of the 4-0 win over Mozambique in Nigeria’s Round of 16 clash, which sparked mixed reactions among Nigerians all over the world.
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The Galatasaray forward had already scored twice, but was furious that his run was not picked out and refused to participate in play afterwards.
He signaled to the bench for his substitution and also did not partake in the team’s celebrations after the win.
However, head coach Eric Chelle downplayed the incident, while Lookman also dismissed news of any rifts in the squad.
The Super Eagles went on to win bronze medal at the tournament after defeating Egypt on penalties in the third-placed playoff match.
Oliseh reveals Osimhen’s impact in Nigeria’s failure to reach AFCON 2025 final
According to Sunday Oliseh, Osimhen’s on-field incident with Lookman had its psychological effect on the team and was a major factor that hindered them from reaching the final of the tournament.
“We are confusing talent with license. Victor Osimhen is world class, but talent is not a license to destroy team chemistry. Look at the evidence. Since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, one of our brightest lights, Lookman became a shadow of himself, and we lost the bite”, Oliseh stated.
“When you publicly diminish your teammates, you break their spirit. You destroy the very confidence a team needs to survive the semifinal. Against a team as tactically sharp as Morocco, we needed our best players at one hundred percent,” the ex-Nigerian captain continued.
“Statistically, Lookman was the most dangerous player in the tournament, until that public verbal abuse broke his focus. You cannot expect a playmaker to perform miracles on the pitch when he has been demoralized by his own teammate. The conflict did its damage. We didn’t just lose a game. We lost the psychological edge we needed to win.”
The former Super Eagles captain also referred to instances where Osimhen had previously clashed with notable personalities in the Nigerian footballing world.
“Scoring goals for Nigeria doesn’t give you a license to disrespect certified legends like Finidi George, or Victor Ikpeba,” Oliseh added.
“It doesn’t give you the right to disrespect coaches or teammates. If goals alone justified arrogance, what should the legends who actually put Nigeria at the pinnacle of world football like Amokachi, Amunike, Okocha, Babangida, and myself do?
“Walk on people’s heads? No. We respected the jersey. We realize that victory is temporary, but character is permanent”, he concluded.
