Osimhen’s Indiscipline Cost Nigeria AFCON Glory — Sunday Oliseh

Former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, has blamed Nigeria’s failure to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco on what he described as indiscipline by striker Victor Osimhen, warning that individual excesses damaged team unity at a critical stage of the tournament.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Oliseh said Osimhen’s public confrontation with teammate Ademola Lookman unsettled the squad and ultimately weakened Nigeria’s title push.

He referenced the heated on-field exchange between the two players during Nigeria’s 4–0 Round of 16 win over Mozambique, where the Galatasaray forward angrily rebuked the Atalanta winger for not releasing the ball in a promising attacking move.

Although the Super Eagles advanced comfortably to the quarter-finals, the incident sparked widespread criticism, with many Nigerians describing Osimhen’s conduct as unprofessional.

According to Oliseh, the fallout extended beyond that match, as Lookman’s performances dipped noticeably afterward, affecting Nigeria’s attacking threat in the semifinal.

“Let’s look at the toxicity that might have cost us the AFCON title,” Oliseh said.
“We are confusing talent with licence. Victor Osimhen is world-class, but talent is not a license to destroy team chemistry.”

He added:
“Look at the evidence. Since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, one of our brightest lights, he became a shadow of himself, and we lost our bite.

“When you publicly diminish your teammates, you break their spirit. You destroy the very confidence a team needs to survive a semi-final. Against a team as tactically sharp as Morocco, we needed our best players at 100 per cent.”

Oliseh noted that statistics showed Lookman had been Nigeria’s most dangerous player before the confrontation.

“Statistically, Ademola Lookman was the most dangerous player in the tournament until that public verbal abuse broke his focus. You can’t expect a playmaker to perform miracles on the pitch when he has been demoralised by his own teammate.

“The conflict did its damage. We didn’t just lose a game; we lost the psychological edge needed to win,” he said.

He also criticised what he described as a growing fan culture that excuses indiscipline from star players.

“What’s worse, and frankly, what’s most dangerous for our football is the fan culture that now tolerates this,” Oliseh warned.

His criticism extended beyond the AFCON incident, citing Osimhen’s earlier public criticism of former Super Eagles coach Finidi George as another sign of unchecked behaviour.

While acknowledging Osimhen’s value to the national team, Oliseh insisted that no individual is bigger than the team.

“Scoring goals for Nigeria doesn’t give you a licence to disrespect certified legends like Finidi George or Victor Ikpeba. It doesn’t give you the right to disrespect your coaches or teammates.

“If goals alone justified arrogance, what should the legends who put Nigeria at the pinnacle of world football — like Amokachi, Amunike, Okocha, Babangida and myself — do? Walk on people’s heads? We respected the jersey; we respected that victory is temporary but character is permanent.

“If we don’t fix the discipline and the administration, there won’t be a Super Eagles left to support,” he said.

Oliseh also criticised the celebrations that followed Nigeria’s third-place finish, after the Super Eagles defeated Egypt on penalties following a goalless draw to claim their ninth AFCON bronze medal.

“There was a time the Super Eagles shed tears at second place, because to us anything but the trophy was a failure; celebrating third place built a culture of mediocrity,” he added.

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