A senior official of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed reports claiming that Super Eagles forward and Galatasaray striker, Victor Osimhen, plans to leave the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations camp in Morocco.
The clarification was shared by FIFA and CAF-accredited journalist Adepoju Samuel, who said he spoke directly with an NFF official regarding the incident involving Osimhen and Ademola Lookman during Nigeria’s 4–0 round-of-16 victory over Mozambique.
Posting on X on Tuesday, Samuel quoted the official as saying: “Everything has been sorted since last night, and we are all good. There was no discussion about Osimhen leaving the tournament. The issue has been resolved as a family.”
The incident occurred in the 63rd minute of the match when Osimhen was visibly upset after Lookman missed a chance despite him being unmarked. At the time, Lookman had already created two scoring opportunities for Osimhen, including a direct assist and another chance involving Akor Adams.
Osimhen was seen arguing with Lookman on the pitch, briefly pulling away from captain Wilfred Ndidi before pointing angrily at his teammate. He later requested to be substituted and was replaced by Moses Simon, with some fans booing as he left the field.
The moment sparked widespread criticism on social media, with many fans questioning Osimhen’s reaction despite the team’s commanding performance.
However, in an apparent show of unity, Lookman later shared photos of himself with Osimhen and Bruno Onyemaechi on Instagram, captioned “TOGETHER ALWAYS.”
Both Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle and captain Wilfred Ndidi have since downplayed the incident, insisting there is no rift between the players and urging Nigerians to continue supporting the team ahead of their quarter-final clash against either Algeria or DR Congo.