Sports

AFCON 2023: CAF Picks Osimhen, Iheanacho For Drugs Tests

Following his impressive and all-action performance in the 2-0 win over the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the round of 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Sunday evening picked Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen for a random drug test.

Osimhen did not score but was a menace for the Cameroonians all through the game and capped his evening with an assist for Ademola Lookman’s first goal of the match.

The SS Napoli star chased every lost cause and his energetic display has got the continental football ruling body interested in picking him for the random drugs tests usually conducted at major tournaments.

Players are usually picked by drawing of lots on the match day squad as one of the protocols but they can also picked players randomly if they noticed any unusual behaviour during and after the game.

Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho was the other Nigerian player picked by CAF for a drug test despite not getting on the pitch.

Izuchukwu Okosi

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc. In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio. He worked there for 13 years until October 2017. Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch. He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations. Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line. Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.