Ikhana Demands NFF Sanction Osimhen for Verbal Assault on Finidi

• Kadiri Ikhana has urged the Nigerian Football Federation to place a ban or fine Victor Osimhen for the striker’s recent outburst
• The Napoli striker has faced criticisms from some Nigerians over his recent rant against former Super Eagles coach Finidi George
• The NFF are yet to decide on Osimhen’s case but have denied initial rumours they had placed a ban on the Nigerian striker

Kadiri Ikhana has urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to take disciplinary action against Victor Osimhen following the Super Eagles striker’s outburst against Finidi George.

The 25-year-old Napoli striker had blasted Finidi over alleged reports the former Super Eagles coach had tagged him as unpatriotic after being excluded in Nigeria’s squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to injury.

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According to Complete Sports, Ikhana, who was named Africa Coach of the Year in 2003, has recommended to the NFF that Osimhen be punished for his actions to deter future occurrences in the national team.

“I want the NFF to look into the matter and ban Osimhen from the national team for a period with a monetary fine if he fails to apologize to Finidi and Nigerians whom he disrespected with his video rants on his Instagram handle.

“Even if Finidi George said those things Osimhen accused him of, it didn’t warrant his disrespecting a legend old enough to be his father. At best he should have called Finidi privately to find out if he really said those words before pouring invectives on his coach.”

Ikhana also advised Osimhen to properly apologize to Finidi, Nigerians, and the NFF over his outburst.

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Osimhen’s character scaring possible suitors

Meanwhile, former Nigeria striker Peter Ijeh reckons suitors are avoiding Osimhen because of the attitude and character of the Super Eagles striker, Punch NG reports.

Arsenal, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain seemed to have cooled their interest in the Napoli forward who has been touted for a big-money move in the summer transfer window.

Ijeh noted that Europe is a small community that takes attitude and character as keys because it is directly influenced by children and believes this is the reason for Osimhen’s latest predicament.

Why Arsenal might not sign Osimhen

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Osimhen’s transfer fee of around €100 million might be slightly beyond the reach of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

The Gunners have a reputation for being prudent with their transfers, with their biggest spending to date being the signing of Declan Rice in the summer of 2023.

Osimhen’s injury record might be another consideration for Arsenal when attempting to finalize his signing as the Nigerian striker has experienced 15 different injury layoffs within the past four years, causing him to miss as many as 65 games for Napoli since joining them in 2020.