Former Super Eagles captain and coach, Sunday Oliseh, has attributed Nigeria’s failure to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco to what he described as indiscipline by star striker Victor Osimhen, warning that individual excesses undermined team unity at a critical stage of the tournament.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Oliseh pointed to Osimhen’s public confrontation with teammate Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s 4–0 Round of 16 victory over Mozambique as a turning point that damaged the squad’s chemistry.
During the match, Osimhen was seen openly rebuking Lookman for failing to release the ball during an attacking move, an incident that sparked criticism from fans who viewed the conduct as unprofessional.
According to Oliseh, the effects of the outburst extended beyond that match, insisting that Lookman’s form dipped afterwards, weakening Nigeria’s attacking threat, particularly 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 licence to destroy team chemistry.
He added that Lookman, whom he described as one of Nigeria’s brightest performers at the tournament, appeared to lose focus following the incident.
“Since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, he became a shadow of himself and we lost our bite. When you publicly diminish your teammates, you break their spirit, Oliseh stated.
Oliseh further argued that Nigeria lost the psychological edge required to overcome a disciplined Moroccan side in the semifinal, stressing that team cohesion is crucial at elite competitions.
He also criticized what he described as a growing fan culture that tolerates such behaviour, warning that it poses a danger to the future of Nigerian football.
The former Eagles skipper extended his criticism to Osimhen’s earlier public comments against former Super Eagles coach Finidi George, insisting that no player, regardless of achievements, is bigger than the national team.
Scoring goals for Nigeria doesn’t give you a licence to disrespect certified legends like Finidi George or Victor Ikpeba, your coaches or your teammates, he said.
If goals alone justified arrogance, what should the legends who took Nigeria to the pinnacle of world football do?
Oliseh also questioned the celebrations that followed Nigeria’s third-place finish after defeating Egypt on penalties, arguing that it signalled a decline in standards.
There was a time when the Super Eagles shed tears over second place because anything short of the trophy was failure.
Celebrating third place builds a culture of mediocrity, he warned.
He concluded by cautioning that unless discipline and administration are urgently addressed, the future of the Super Eagles could be at risk.
