AFCON 2025: Udeze Disagrees as Oliseh Blames Osimhen for Nigeria’s Failure
Former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh has blamed Victor Osimhen for Nigeria’s failure to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, but another ex-international, Ifeanyi Udeze, has strongly disagreed with his view.
Oliseh made the comments on his YouTube channel, where he criticised Osimhen over his public disagreement with teammate Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s round of 16 match against Mozambique. According to Oliseh, the incident affected team harmony and reduced Lookman’s impact for the rest of the tournament.
He said that although Osimhen is a world-class striker, talent should not be used as an excuse to damage team chemistry. Oliseh claimed that Lookman, who had been one of Nigeria’s most dangerous players, lost confidence after the incident and failed to make a goal contribution afterwards.
Oliseh added that publicly criticising a teammate can break team spirit and remove the psychological edge needed to win big matches, especially against strong opponents like Morocco. He also warned that tolerating such behaviour could be harmful to Nigerian football.
However, former Super Eagles defender Ifeanyi Udeze has rejected Oliseh’s claims, saying it is unfair to blame one player for Nigeria’s failure.
Speaking on Brila FM, Udeze said Oliseh should have advised Osimhen privately or used his platform to encourage him instead of calling him out publicly.
Udeze noted that the disagreement happened against Mozambique and pointed out that in the quarter-final against Algeria, Osimhen and Lookman played well together and showed good understanding on the pitch. He said this proved that the issue had been resolved and did not affect the team’s performance.
He added that he does not believe the incident between Osimhen and Lookman cost Nigeria the AFCON title, stressing that Osimhen is still a young player who deserves guidance rather than public criticism.
Osimhen has not responded to the comments and is currently focused on his club duties, as he prepares for Galatasaray’s UEFA Champions League match against Manchester City.
