The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is set to take disciplinary action against Super Eagles’ first-choice striker, Victor Osimhen, for improper conduct following his verbal outburst against former national team coach, Finidi George. This development comes after Finidi’s resignation, which was submitted last Friday following the NFF’s decision to hire an expatriate coach.
Osimhen, the Napoli forward, expressed his frustration over reports suggesting that Finidi had questioned his commitment to the team. The controversy stemmed from Osimhen’s absence during the team’s World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic, matches which ended in a 1-1 draw and a 1-2 loss, respectively. These results saw Nigeria fall to fifth place in their group, trailing the group leaders Rwanda by four points.
According to an NFF board member, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau has already spoken with Osimhen about his outburst, and Finidi has also reached out to him. The board member explained that the report Osimhen reacted to was false and misleading, and regrettably, Osimhen did not verify its accuracy before responding.
“Osimhen been a role model and the only way we can help the incoming coach stamp his authority is by using him to set example. He crossed the line with his outburst, and even after Finidi called to explain, Osimhen did not see fit to retract his statements. We will not condone this behavior. After the Salah break, we will address the issue, and I can assure you he won’t be part of the team until he apologizes for his actions,” the board member concluded.
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