Finidi George Reacts to Victor Osimhen’s Outbursts on Injury Allegations, Video Emerges
- Finidi George has responded to recent viral comments made by Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen
- On Saturday, Osimhen went live on Instagram to deny claims made by some that he had staged an injury to be excluded from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers
- The Napoli forward's comments stirred major reactions on social media, prompting veteran Nigerian journalist Colin Udoh to investigate the situation further
- Udoh contacted high-ranking officials of the Nigerian Football Federation and also revealed his chat with Finidi, who spilled the real truth
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements
Former Super Eagles coach Finidi George has responded to Victor Osimhen’s viral video on social media, in which he denied accusations of faking an injury to avoid participation in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Source: Twitter
Recall that Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen attacked George on Saturday, June 15, for blocking him from attending the national team camp and talking with his teammate.
In a trending video, the Nigerian star said he had lost respect for the immediate past Super Eagles coach. He added that George had details of his injury and blocked him from speaking with fellow teammates.
Why Osimhen tackled Finidi George
Finidi George had claimed he was not receiving adequate support from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). He added that some players are connected with big men in the governing council and are difficult to sanction.
This is after he had lost his first two matches as the Super Eagles coach, attributing the failure to a lack of commitment from the players.
Osimhen lashed out at the coach, stating that he has lost respect for him.
Finidi George reacts: Journalist Colin Udoh speaks
The controversy prompted Nigerian sports journalist Colin Udoh to seek clarification from both the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and Finidi George.
Udoh reached out to senior NFF officials, who confirmed that Finidi never accused Osimhen of feigning an injury.
The journalist also revealed that he reached out to Finidi who refuted ever making such statement and expected Osimhen to have handled the situation differently.
Udoh said on Instagram:
“So I called a couple of people who were at that meeting between Finidi, the NFF, and the minister to find out if what is alleged to have been said was actually said, and so these people are usually very, very senior and reliable people and I was told categorically that Finidi did not say the things he’s alleged to have said.
“He did not say he wasn’t going to beg Osimhen. He did not say that Osimhem was not committed. In fact, he did confirm when he was asked about Osimhen’s absence that he called him from Germany, and that’s why he was excused.
“It was when the issue of player’s commitment was raised; that’s why he said he would not beg anybody to play for the Super Eagles, but he did not mention any player by name, specifically
“And so, I also called Finidi himself to ask him if that was the case and he also confirmed to me that he never said any of those things.
“In fact, he corroborated what the other gentleman had told me and that he would have no reason to call out any player, whether in public or in private, and that he would address issues with the players themselves if there were any issues.
“And then, as soon as the video was brought to his attention, he said he reached out to Osimhen and let him know that one, he never said those things, and two, even if he had, Osimhen should have reached out to him first to find out if he did say, what he was alleged to have said, rather than going, public with such disrespect.”
Finidi vs Osimhen: Watch the video here as the former coach cleared his name.
Nigerians ask NFF to hire Siasia
Meanwhile, Nigerians on social media are calling on the NFF to hire Samson Siasia as the new Super Eagles coach.
The agitation comes after Finidi reportedly resigned as the head coach of the senior national team.
The NFF would be looking to replace Finidi, following Nigeria's disappointing 2026 world cup qualifying matches in June.
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