Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has blamed Victor Osimhen for Nigeria’s failure to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, accusing the striker of damaging team unity at a decisive stage of the tournament.
Nigeria settled for a third-place finish after defeating Egypt in the bronze-medal match, extending their record to nine AFCON third-place finishes.
However, Oliseh believes the Super Eagles were capable of going all the way before internal issues derailed their title push.
Mozambique incident sparks criticism
Oliseh traced Nigeria’s problems to an incident during the Round-of-16 win over Mozambique, when Osimhen publicly confronted teammate Ademola Lookman for failing to pass to him in a promising position.
Nigeria won the match 4-0, with Osimhen scoring twice and Lookman providing two assists, but the former midfielder insists the confrontation had lasting consequences.
According to Oliseh, the public nature of the outburst disrupted the team’s chemistry despite efforts by head coach Eric Chelle and Lookman to downplay the issue afterward.
“Let’s look at the toxicity that might have caused us the AFCON title,” Oliseh said on his YouTube channel. “Victor Osimhen is world class but talent is not license to destroy team chemistry.”
Impact on Lookman, team performance
Oliseh pointed to a noticeable dip in Ademola Lookman’s output after the Mozambique game.
Before then, the winger had recorded three goals and four assists in his first three matches and was among the tournament’s standout performers.
In the quarter-final win over Algeria, Lookman failed to score or assist. The trend continued in the semi-final against Morocco, where Nigeria were eliminated on penalties after a goalless draw.
In the third-place playoff against Egypt, with Lookman benched, Nigeria again struggled to score in open play.
“Since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, one of our brightest lights, we lost the bite,” Oliseh said. “When you publicly diminish your teammates, you break their spirit.”
Wider concerns over discipline
Oliseh also referenced previous controversies involving Osimhen, including his public criticism of former Super Eagles coach Finidi George, arguing that such actions reflect a broader discipline problem.
“Scoring goals for Nigeria doesn’t give you a license to disrespect your coaches or teammates,” he said. “If we don’t fix the discipline and the administration, there won’t be a Super Eagles left to support.”
Osimhen remains Nigeria’s second-highest goalscorer with 35 international goals, just two shy of Rashidi Yekini’s record, but Oliseh insists that individual brilliance must not come at the expense of team cohesion.