Nigeria’s preparations for the Africa Cup quarterfinal against Algeria are troubled by reports of unpaid bonuses and internal disputes involving Victor Osimhen. Coach Éric Chelle emphasised the need to focus on the match despite these challenges.
Sports
-Sathish Raman
Nigeria’s
preparations
for
the
Africa
Cup
of
Nations
quarterfinal
against
Algeria
have
been
overshadowed
by
rumours
of
internal
conflict
involving
star
striker
Victor
Osimhen.
Reports
suggest
that
players
have
not
received
their
bonuses.
Coach
Éric
Chelle
refrained
from
commenting
on
these
issues,
stating
that
such
matters
should
be
addressed
by
the
Nigeria
Football
Federation
(NFF).
image
Nigeria’s
preparations
for
the
Africa
Cup
quarterfinal
against
Algeria
are
troubled
by
reports
of
unpaid
bonuses
and
internal
disputes
involving
Victor
Osimhen.
Coach
Éric
Chelle
emphasised
the
need
to
focus
on
the
match
despite
these
challenges.
The
NFF
still
lists
a
vacancy
for
the
head
coach
position
of
the
men’s
team,
despite
appointing
Chelle
a
year
ago.
Nigerian
media
reported
that
players
threatened
to
boycott
training
and
travel
to
Marrakech
unless
they
received
bonuses
for
winning
their
first
four
Africa
Cup
matches.
The
team
arrived
in
Marrakech
on
Thursday
and
trained
the
same
day,
with
another
session
planned
for
Friday.
Internal
Team
Dynamics
Speculation
arose
about
Osimhen’s
potential
departure
following
an
on-field
disagreement
with
teammate
Ademola
Lookman
during
Nigeria’s
4-0
victory
over
Mozambique.
Chelle
chose
not
to
address
these
reports
directly,
focusing
instead
on
the
upcoming
match
against
Algeria.
“I
prefer
to
speak
about
the
upcoming
game.
Victor
is
there
and
that’s
all,” he
stated.
Osimhen
scored
twice
in
the
Mozambique
match,
with
Lookman
involved
in
both
goals.
However,
tensions
reportedly
flared
when
Lookman
attempted
to
score
instead
of
assisting
Osimhen
for
another
goal.
Lookman
downplayed
the
incident,
describing
it
as
“just
football” and
referring
to
Osimhen
as
his
“brother.”
Team
Unity
and
Goals
Lookman
later
shared
photos
on
social
media
celebrating
with
Osimhen,
captioned
“together
always.”
Chelle
emphasised
teamwork,
saying,
“Yes,
everyone’s
speaking
about
Osimhen
and
Lookman,
it’s
normal,
they’re
the
last
two
best
African
players,
but
we’re
here
to
serve
them
to
score,
we’re
working
for
them.
We’re
a
team,
and
that’s
what
teamwork
is
all
about.”
Nigeria
aims
to
secure
its
fourth
Africa
Cup
title
after
losing
the
final
to
Ivory
Coast
in
the
previous
edition.
Winning
would
help
compensate
for
missing
out
on
World
Cup
qualification.
Algeria
has
defeated
Nigeria
twice
in
past
tournaments,
including
in
1990
and
during
the
2019
semifinals.
Chelle
remains
focused
on
his
role
as
coach,
stating
that
his
job
is
centred
on
the
pitch
rather
than
off-field
issues.
He
reiterated
his
commitment
to
preparing
the
team
for
their
match
against
Algeria
in
Marrakech.
With
inputs
from
PTI
