When the referee blew for fulltime following Super Eagles’ commanding 4-0 win over Mozambique in the AFCON 2025 round of 16 at the Fez Stadium, Nigerians were jubilant.
Victor Osimhen scored a brace, both assisted by Ademola Lookman. However, the joy was short lived, as the camp was engulfed by another crisis.
The central figures in both triumphs and crises were Osimhen and Lookman.
In the 64th minute, Lookman was in possession of the ball, with a chance to find Osimhen in a good position. However, he chose not to, which left Osimhen incandescent. He gesticulated angrily at his teammate and repeatedly signaled to the bench to be subbed off.
Tensions escalated as he was subbed off for Moses Simon. At full time, while his teammates huddled in celebration, Osimhen stormed straight down the tunnel.
Reports emerged from the Nigerian camp that the 27-year-old was in a state of agitation. He dropped his accreditation card, and declared he was “done” with the national team.
He threatened to return to Turkey. In the mixed zone, Osimhen angrily walked past a battery of journalists.
The incident revived concerns about his temperament, following a previous public spat with former coach Finidi George.
Senior officials of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) scrambled to intervene and pacify the striker, recognising the gravity of potentially losing one of Africa’s most feared attackers midway through the continent’s biggest tournament.
The on-pitch drama has since overshadowed Nigeria’s commanding progress. However, the federation’s media officer has since insisted that Osimhen and Lookman have put their differences aside.
However, Dayo Enebi, Super Eagles team administrator, said the issue was settled “a couple of hours later” after the match.
Enebi said there is “no problem” inside the Super Eagles camp, adding that the on-field incident was “between two brothers” and the team is “presently at training”.
Reacting on Tuesday, Lookman shared pictures of himself alongside Victor Osimhen and Bruno Onyemaechi on the pitch following Nigeria’s win against Mozambique at the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16, which was played on Monday.
The footballer shared the post on his official Instagram page on Tuesday with the caption, “TOGETHER ALWAYS”.
Just the day before, Lookman had assured the media that there was no bad blood between the duo, describing Osimhen as “my brother”.
Nigeria will now take on Egypt next Thursday hoping to have solved the whole ordeal.
