Sunday Oliseh’s criticism of Victor Osimhen has drawn a firm response from former Super Eagles defender Ifeanyi Udeze, who has rejected the claim that one dressing room incident denied Nigeria the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, Footynaija.com reports.
Udeze addressed the issue after Oliseh publicly blamed Osimhen for Nigeria’s failure to lift the trophy, following an animated exchange involving Ademola Lookman during the Round of 16 of the tournament in Morocco.
The former national team coach had argued that the incident “shattered” team confidence and disrupted the squad. Oliseh had said the outburst against Lookman made the 28-year-old “a shadow of himself and [the Super Eagles] lost the bite.”
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Nigeria finished the competition in third place after losing the semi final to host nation Morocco before beating Egypt on penalties. The Super Eagles scored freely across the tournament and recorded huge wins, including a 4-0 thrashing of Mozambique—in which Osimhen scored twice as Lookman opened the scoring.
What Udeze Said
Udeze, analysing the situation via Brilla FM, dismissed the suggestion that the exchange between teammates decided the outcome of the competition. He insisted that tournaments often involve emotional moments and that Nigeria’s overall performance told a different story.
“That outburst happened during our game against Mozambique, then quarter final, we played against Algeria. The same Ademola Lookman and Osimhen linked up and played. Scored goals. The chemistry was there,” he said.
“I think after that game, they trashed whatever it is that happened between the them. When they played against Algeria, it showed openly. I don’t think it’s what happened between Lookman and Osimhen that made us not to win the AFCON title,” he added.
The Galatasaray forward and the Atalanta winger both delivered on the pitch during the tournament. Osimhen was one of Nigeria’s top scorers, as Lookman contributed a combined 7 goals and assists across the group stage and knockout rounds, converting the decisive penalty against Egypt.
