A football analyst Oma Akatugba has faulted Victor Osimhen’s outburst over a claim credited to a former Super Eagles coach Finidi George.
Osimhen who missed Nigeria’s twin World Cup qualification games against South Africa and the Benin Republic had fired back at Finidi over a comment allegedly made by the ex-coach accusing him [Osimhen] of non-commitment to the Super Eagles.
But Akatugba believes the Napoli forward should have handled the situation better and respected Finidi who was one of the former Nigerian footballers who paved the way for the country’s players in Europe.
“So, at least for anything you’ve got to respect all of that. So, based on that, I think Osimhen should have done better.
“There are better ways to handle things and I think that he should have done better. If he’s watching this right now, if I were with him, this would be the same thing I would tell him.
“So, let’s make it clear what Osimhen did cannot be encouraged. It must be condemned,” he said.
According to Akatugba, Osimhen should have gone the way of another Super Eagles player Sadiq Umar whom the team’s handlers declared unfit and left the side’s camp for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) only to play for his club side days.
“What did he do? He made a public statement respectfully clearing things up without disrespecting anybody even though he had every reason to. I think that is the way a professional should deal with things like this,” he said.
The analyst, however, said Osimhen is dedicated to the national team and is passionate whenever he plays.
“Victor gives his all whenever he plays, whether for Nigeria, Napoli, or his local team in Olusosun [the area in Lagos where Osimhen grew up]. So, that is who he is. He’s very passionate, he’s very emotional,” he said.
“All of these are the attributes you see him display on the field of play. That energy is the same energy he used in venting his anger on that Instagram live.”
As Osimhen’s outburst continues to make headlines, the Super Eagles are without a coach following Finidi’s resignation last Saturday.
The former Ajax Amsterdam man resigned from his post after two games as head coach. He was appointed on April 29, 2024, following a stint as the team’s interim handler where he managed two friendly games – against Ghana and Mali (Nigeria defeated the Black Stars but lost to the Eagles).
But defeat to the Benin Republic in a 2026 World Cup qualifiers and an earlier draw against South Africa left Nigeria’s hopes of making the tournament hanging.
The results led to a backlash from fans and other stakeholders. In the wake of the development, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced the search for a foreign technical adviser. That did not go well with Finidi who tendered his resignation.
As of the time of this report, the football body has yet to comment on Finidi’s resignation.