CAN 2025: Sunday Oliseh slams Victor Osimhen after Nigeria’s failure

The former captain of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh, believes that the public altercation between Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman fractured the unit of the group and weighed heavily in Nigeria’s elimination at the hands of Morocco.

Nigeria’s elimination on the brink of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final continues to generate a lot of ink. The former iconic captain of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh, delivered a harsh analysis, directly pointing to Victor Osimhen’s responsibility in the failure to secure the continental crown.

Beaten by Morocco, the host nation, in the semi-finals, the Nigerians had to settle for bronze. For Oliseh, this disappointment traces back to a specific episode: the heated public altercation between Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during the Round of 16 win over Mozambique (4-0). Furious at not having received the ball, the star striker lashed out at his teammate, a gesture that the former midfielder deemed highly consequential.

« Nous confondons trop souvent le talent et le droit de tout se permettre », explained Oliseh on his YouTube channel. While he acknowledges Osimhen’s global status, he believes that the latter has broken the balance of the group. According to him, Lookman, up to then one of the tournament’s most decisive players, has never regained his form after this episode.