19th June, 2024
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
A former presidential spokesman, Reno Omokri on Wednesday said banning Nigerian international, Victor Osimhen from the Super Eagles is counter-productive.
Osimhen and coach Finidi George had been on a running battle following his not taking part in some qualifying matches.
Some people have been calling for Osimhen’s ban from the national team squad, but Omokri said such action would be counter-productive.
“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. Our next opponents will be smiling. And this latest action will likely antagonise Osimhen further.
“It makes more sense, from a leadership point of view, to speak to Osimhen behind the scenes and address the issues that gave rise 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 said.