Super Eagles media officer Promise Efoghe said the ‘internal misunderstanding’ involving Victor Osimhen after the forward threatened to quit the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and return to Galatasaray has been resolved.
The Peoples Gazette earlier reported how Osimhen had threatened to leave the Super Eagles’ camp in Morocco and return to his club following an on-field clash between him and Ademola Lookman over a pass during Nigeria 4-0 win over Mozambique in their round of 16 match on Monday.
Responding to a request by The Gazette seeking comment on the matter on Tuesday, Mr Efoghe stressed that there was no longer an issue between the players.
He added that the issue had been settled, adding that the team was focused on their campaign in Morocco.
“There is no problem within the team. The internal misunderstanding has been sorted amicably and we are United going forward,” Mr Efoghe told The Gazette.
Meanwhile, Lookman downplayed the incident as a mere on-field incident while addressing reporters at the post match press conference, stating, “The team won 4-0. Vic is our number one guy. Everybody knows this. He is a top striker and a top player. All the rest of that is not important.
“There’s no issue,” Lookman continued. “It’s just football. Always football. He (Osimhen) is my brother.”
Head coach Eric Chelle maintained that what happens on the pitch stays there, noting that he planned to speak with the players privately while addressing journalists at the post-match press conference on Monday.
“What happened on the pitch will stay with the group. I don’t need to tell people what happened. I will keep that for the group and me. We will talk afterwards,” he stated.
The Eagles will shift their focus to the quarterfinal clash against the winner of the round of 16 tie between Democratic Republic of Congo and Algeria on Tuesday.
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