Galatasaray Requests Osimhen's Exclusion from AFCON Qualifiers

Galatasaray has requested the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to prevent striker Victor Osimhen from participating in Nigeria’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against Madagascar on September 25 and Guinea-Bissau on September 29. This request arises as Osimhen is recovering from a groin injury that has already sidelined him from Galatasaray’s league match against Trabzonspor.

Despite Galatasaray's concerns regarding Osimhen's fitness, the NFF rejected the request, affirming the necessity of including the former Napoli forward in the squad for the crucial qualifiers. Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle had already selected Osimhen for the matches, indicating the coach's intent to utilize one of Nigeria's key attacking players.

Osimhen's participation will ultimately depend on his recovery and fitness as the qualifiers approach, with both Galatasaray and the NFF having differing interests regarding his return to competitive play.