The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has turned down Galatasaray’s request to have Victor Osimhen excused from Nigeria’s upcoming 2026 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, qualifying matches.
Galatasaray had reportedly asked the federation not to field the striker in Nigeria’s fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau later this month.
The Super Eagles are scheduled to face Madagascar on September 25 before taking on Guinea-Bissau on September 29.
According to SCORENigeria, the NFF rejected the Turkish club’s request, maintaining that Osimhen is required for the crucial qualifying fixtures.
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle had included the Galatasaray forward in his squad for the matches.
Osimhen’s availability has nevertheless become a concern as he continues to recover from a groin injury. The injury is expected to rule him out of Galatasaray’s league fixture against Trabzonspor on Saturday.
The decision means the NFF currently expects Osimhen to remain part of Nigeria’s plans for the two AFCON qualifying matches, subject to his fitness.
