Finidi George: NFF May Ban Osimhen From Playing For Super Eagles

Nigerian professional footballer, Victor Osimhen, may be banned from playing for the national team, the Super Eagles.

This follows the Napoli striker’s outburst on social media, where he berated and lampooned the former head coach of the Super Eagles, Finidi George.

Earlier reports stated that Osimhen, during an Instagram Live session on Saturday, refuted allegations of faking an injury to avoid national team responsibilities.

In the video, Osimhen also addressed rumours involving Finidi George, asserting that the former Enyimba coach had claimed he would not plead with Osimhen to play for the Super Eagles.

Osimhen criticized the former Super Eagles coach, expressing his loss of respect for him.

As a result of the controversy, Nigerian sports journalist Colin Udoh reached out to both the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and Finidi George for clarification.

Reacting to the development which has generated mixed reactions from Nigerians, a former Goalie for the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Idah Peterside, expressed his belief that Victor Osimhen, ought to face a ban from the national team unless he offers an apology to the embattled coach, for his recent outburst on social media.

Peterside’s criticism of Osimhen’s conduct, which he deemed disrespectful and inappropriate, gained significant attention through a viral video on X (formerly Twitter).

“I think action should be taken, or he should be banned from playing for the national team. If we allow this kind of thing to continue, it would not augur well for Nigeria. The men who have served and given everything to our great country. So sanity must be brought to our football. He (Osimhen) needs to come outside and apologize for the things he said to Finidi,” Peterside said on social media.

He added; “Finidi George is a legend, You don’t just widen your mouth and say things that are unpalatable. If you have issues with the man, pick up your phone and call him. That’s what responsible people do. Osimhen has just shown a bit of irresponsibility, and that’s unexpected. I think the NFF should call Osimhen and ask him to apologize. He has to apologize for saying things.

“Our national team is sacred; days when we wore the jersey, we respected it, and people that went before us. He’s not the first, and neither would he be the last. He should come out openly and apologize openly to former footballers, NFF, Finidi, and Nigerians.”

Sportxparte reports that the controversies started from when Finidi voiced his dissatisfaction regarding the insufficient backing from the NFF during a discussion with Sports Minister John Enoh in Abuja.

Finidi claimed that certain players, backed by influential figures, were exempt from consequences and lacked discipline.

There were rumours that he specifically singled out Osimhen.

In retaliation, Osimhen utilized Instagram Live to express his frustration and disillusionment. He stated that he no longer respects Finidi, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect.

Furthermore, Osimhen pledged to provide evidence of their conversation to shed light on the situation.