Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen is under fire in Turkey amid allegations that he deliberately engineered a suspension ahead of joining the Nigeria squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The former African Footballer of the Year had been walking a disciplinary tightrope going into Saturday’s Super Lig clash with Antalyaspor, having already collected bookings against Beşiktaş, Kocaelispor and Fenerbahçe.

Osimhen was shown a yellow card in the 85th minute for pulling an opponent’s shirt, a caution that triggered an automatic one-match suspension. As a result, the 26-year-old will miss next weekend’s league fixture against Kasımpaşa.

However, with Osimhen named in the Super Eagles’ 28-man squad for the Afcon, scheduled to run from December 21 to January 18 in Morocco, the suspension will be served during the international tournament.

According to Turkish outlet Gazete Gerçek, the striker could yet be referred to the Turkish Football Federation Disciplinary Committee (PFDK) under Article 37, which covers cases of players allegedly “deliberately receiving a yellow card”.

Article 37 of the PFDK regulations states that any player found to have intentionally picked up a yellow or red card in order to face disciplinary action in subsequent matches is liable to a two-match ban.

Should the Super Eagles progress to the Afcon final, Osimhen could miss club fixtures against İstanbul Başakşehir, Kasımpaşa, Fethiyespor, Trabzonspor and Gaziantep FK.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel