Oliseh’s claim rejected as Chelle clears Osimhen of blame in Lookman AFCON debate

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has pushed back strongly against claims made by former Nigeria captain Sunday Oliseh over Ademola Lookman’s drop in impact during the latter stages of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Afrik-Foot reports.

Lookman had been Nigeria’s standout performer for much of the tournament, scoring three goals and providing four assists across six matches. With the Super Eagles finding the net 14 times overall, the Atalanta winger was directly involved in half of Nigeria’s goals, a remarkable return that pointed to his influence.

However, all of Lookman’s goals and assists came in his opening three appearances. His attacking output faded in the latter knockout rounds, a decline that coincided with a tense on-pitch exchange with Victor Osimhen during Nigeria’s clash with Mozambique.

🚨“I didn’t even need to intervene. We got back to the hotel, the two of them talked it out, and that was the end of it,”

– Eric Chelle Tells RMC in an interview on the rift Between Lookman And Osimhen at #AFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/xBIjlMy2WS

— MikeThePundit (@Mike_ThePundit) February 9, 2026

Oliseh argued that the confrontation damaged Lookman’s confidence and ultimately cost Nigeria a place in the final. The former midfielder placed the blame squarely on Osimhen, suggesting the striker’s criticism shattered team spirit at a crucial moment.

At the time, Oliseh had said, “Look at the evidence. Since that public outburst against Ademola Lookman, one of our brightest lads, Lookman became a shadow of himself and we lost the bite.

“When you publicly diminish your teammates, you break their spirit. You destroy the very confidence the team needs to survive a semifinal against a team as tactically sharp as Morocco, we needed our best players at 100 percent.

“Statistically, Ademola Lookman was the most dangerous player in the tournament until that public verbal abuse disrupted his focus.

“You cannot expect a playmaker to perform miracles after being demoralised by a teammate. We didn’t just lose a game; we lost the psychological edge required to win.”

Lookman vs Osimhen: Chelle points to fatigue, not fallout

Chelle, however, has dismissed that interpretation, insisting Lookman’s reduced sharpness was down to physical strain rather than emotional impact.

Speaking on RMC Sport’s After Foot, the Nigerian coach explained that Lookman entered the tournament without a strong run of matches earlier in the season, which later caught up with him as Nigeria pushed deep into the competition.

The Super Eagles eventually finished third, but Chelle admitted the intensity of AFCON exposed signs of fatigue among several key players, Lookman included.

“Ademola Lookman, his start to the season in September, he did not play much either,” Chelle said. “He gave his all in this group phase, he was very good. So exceptional, very, very good.

“And in the quarterfinals, if you look closely at the match, physically he’s good but starts to falter a little and it’s true we felt they were tired.”

Chelle stressed that Lookman’s commitment never dropped, even if his legs did, and described the winger’s tournament as a major positive for Nigeria.

Both Lookman and Osimhen have now firmly established themselves as the Super Eagles’ attacking leaders, having helped the team to silver at AFCON 2023 and bronze at the 2025 edition.