Reno Omokri, a former presidential assistant, has voiced worries that Victor Osimhen’s ban may seriously hurt Nigeria’s hopes of making it to the 2026 World Cup.
Omokri’s comments come amidst rising tensions following Osimhen’s recent outburst directed at former Super Eagles assistant coach Finidi George.
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) reported that Osimhen reacted harshly to a misleading report, which claimed that Finidi had questioned his commitment to the national team.
Recall Finidi resignation letter, clarified his position, but Osimhen, still angered by the alleged comments, did not retract his statements.
An NFF board member has indicated that Osimhen will be made an example to prevent similar incidents in the future. “He crossed the line with his outburst even when Finidi called him to explain; he still didn’t deem it fit to retract his statements. We won’t condone that, and after the Salah break, we will sit on the issue. I can tell you he won’t be in the team until he says sorry for his actions,” the board member stated.
Reacting to the developments on X, Reno Omokri criticized the decision to ban Osimhen, calling it counterproductive.
“Discipline is essential and should be maintained. But purging perhaps your best player during a qualifying round that you are performing poorly at is itself an own goal. Yes, there is no I in team. But there is an I in win. And Osimhen is a winner,” Omokri posted.
Omokri warned that this decision would likely embolden Nigeria’s opponents and further antagonize Osimhen.
He argued that a more effective leadership approach would involve private discussions with Osimhen to address the issues leading to his outburst.
“He would have been more likely to apologise on his own initiative if that course of action was taken. Perhaps it is not too late to reconsider the ban,” Omokri concluded