Ahmed Musa, Super Eagles captain, has urged Nigerians to stop “cyberbullying” Alex Iwobi over the country’s loss to Cote d’Ivoire in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
On Sunday, Nigeria lost 2-1 to the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the AFCON final held at the Olympic Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan.
Nigeria took the lead in the match after William Troost-Ekong scored a powerful header in the first half, but Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller scored in the second half for the Ivorians.
However, many fans on social media singled out Iwobi for criticism.
After the match, he was targeted by trolls on social media who accused him of putting out a poor performance at the tournament.
The backlash culminated in Iwobi deleting almost all his Instagram posts.
Reacting to the situation in a tweet on his X account on Monday, Musa said it is “hypocritical to claim that football unites us,” yet the fans abuse players over their performances.
He added that “targeting a single player for the team’s shortcomings is unfair and unjust,” adding that “we win as a team, and we lose as a team”.
Musa added that Iwobi “gave his all on the field, just like every member of our squad”.
“Dear fans, I want to please urge you to halt the cyber-bullying directed towards Alex Iwobi. Cyberbullying is not just a violation of decency but also a serious crime,” the post reads.
“It’s hypocritical to claim that football unites us while engaging in such behaviour. Losing a game is undoubtedly tough, but targeting a single player for the team’s shortcomings is unfair and unjust. We win as a team, and we lose as a team.
“Alex gave his all on the field, just like every member of our squad. Instead of spreading negativity, let’s show genuine love and support to our players. They need our encouragement now more than ever. Let’s uplift each other and stand united, both in victory and defeat.”
William Troost-Ekong, Super Eagles deputy captain, approved Musa’s message. The newly crowned AFCON player of the tournament quoted his teammate’s post and said, “we are with you, Skippo.”
