Former Nigeria captain, Sunday Oliseh, has said Victor Osimhen should be held responsible for the country’s failure to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria ended the tournament with a bronze medal after losing to the host nation Morocco in the semi-finals.
Oliseh has pointed to Osimhen’s public spat with Ademola Lookman as the reason the team’s unity was broken.
This incident happened during the Round-of-16 match against Mozambique, which Nigeria won 4-0.
Osimhen was furious with Lookman for not passing the ball to him when he was in a good position to score.
“Let’s look at the toxicity that might have caused us (Nigeria) the AFCON title,” Oliseh said on his YouTube channel.
“We are confusing talent with permission. Victor Osimhen is world class, but talent doesn’t give you the right to break team chemistry.
“Look at the evidence. Since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, one of our brightest players, Lookman became a shadow of himself and we lost our edge.
“When you publicly disrespect your teammates, you break their confidence.
You destroy the spirit a team needs to win a semifinal. Against a team as smart as Morocco, we needed our best players at full strength.
“Statistically, Ademola Lookman was the most dangerous player in the tournament, until that public verbal attack broke his focus.
“You can’t expect a playmaker to do miracles on the pitch when he’s been demoralized by his own teammate.
“The conflict did its damage. We didn’t just lose a game, we lost the mental edge needed to win.
“What’s worse, and frankly, what’s most dangerous for our football is the fan culture that now accepts this.”