Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen
Nigeria international Victor Osimhen nearly boycotted the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco following his outburst in the Mozambique showdown on Monday night, Africasoccer.com has reported.
Osimhen, who plies his trade for Galatasaray, was spotted in an altercation with his teammate, Ademola Lookman, in the high-stakes round of 16 clash against Mozambique.
The forward, who scored two goals to propel his outfit to a resounding 4-0 victory over the Mambas to book a place in the quarterfinals, was later subbed off, signalling unrest in the team.
Osimhen, however, left the stadium immediately after the match, threw away his accreditation card in an attempt to end his AFCON participation. The former Napoli star wanted to return to Turkey to continue club duty with Galatasaray.
However, the Nigerian Football Federation officials intervened to calm Osimhen down, with the forward rescinding his decision to remain in camp.
Victor Osimhen has scored three goals at AFCON 2025, placing him joint second in the tournament’s scoring chart. He scored a brace against Mozambique, taking his international tally to 34 goals, three short of Rashidi Yekini’s long-standing record.
Having rescinded his decision, the enterprising attacker is expected to play a huge role in the quarterfinals clash against Algeria.
