Football: “This news is fake, my brother.” - Asamoah Gyan responds to claims accusing Osimhen of faking injury against South Africa
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Reports suggest Gyan accuses Osimhen of prioritising club commitments
Nigeria entered this month’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers needing to take all six points from their two matches against Rwanda and South Africa to improve their chances of reaching the global competition in North America next year.
The Super Eagles managed to make a good start in that regard, fighting hard to overcome Amavubi 1-0 at home, but that victory came at a cost, with Victor Osimhen sustaining an injury that forced him off in the first half of the match.
As a result, the Galatasaray striker was unable to feature for Eric Chelle’s side in their second match against Bafana Bafana in Bloemfontein, which the team eventually drew 1-1, confirming our football predictions and effectively leaving their World Cup qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
Following Nigeria’s draw against South Africa, several media outlets claimed that Asamoah Gyan had accused Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen of faking the extent of his injury, suggesting that the African Footballer of the Year was prioritising his club commitments above his nation. The report claimed Gyan said:
“I know these tricks. They probably told Osimhen: the Champions League is coming up, we’ve made a massive investment in you. Go to Nigeria, play a bit, then fake an injury and come back quickly to Turkey.”
Given the longstanding rivalry between Black Stars and Super Eagles, the report spread like wildfire across both nations. However, the former Ghana international has now come forward to publicly address the issue.
Gyan’s response to Osimhen ‘faking injury’ claims
Following the match against Rwanda, Nigeria’s team doctors revealed that Osimhen’s injury was a “moderate sprain to his ankle ligaments” and added that while it was not serious, it was enough to rule the striker out for the clash against South Africa.
These were sentiments shared by Galatasaray, which released a public statement confirming the diagnosis. Shortly after these announcements, Gyan took to social media platform X to address the claims. He said:
“Fabricated quotes attributed to me about Victor Osimhen have gone viral on social media. It’s important to set the record straight: I never granted any interview about Nigeria. Don’t spread FAKE news. I had a great chat with my brother @VictorOsimhen9 on the phone earlier today. Once again, I wish you a full and speedy recovery.”
Osimhen sat out Galatasaray’s 2-0 Super Lig victory over Eyupspor this past weekend, and has been flagged as a minor doubt for the team’s opening match of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League in Germany against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday.
