12th February, 2024
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
The captain of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Ahmed Musa has called for an immediate end to cyberbullying of the midfielder of the team, Alex Iwobi, over an alleged woeful performance in their loss to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of African Cup of Nations, AFCON played on Sunday.
Some Nigerians had taken to social media to heap blame for the loss of the AFCON trophy by Super Eagles to the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire on Iwobi, who, according to them, should not have been fielded for the crucial game against the host.
Some disappointed fans had engaged in trolling and cyberbullying of Iwobi to show their disappointment.
As a result of ceaseless bullying, the English Premier League player was forced to delete most of the pictures on his Instagram page on Monday morning. But this has not stopped the cyberbullying of the footballer.
However, Ahmed Musa who noted that cyberbullying is not just a violation of decency but also a serious crime said it is unfair and unjust to heap the shortcomings of the team on a single player.
He also said Iwobi 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,”
See his full statement below.
Dear fans, I want to please urge you to halt the cyber-bullying directed towards Alex Iwobi. Cyber bullying is not just a violation of decency but also a serious crime. It’s hypocritical to claim that football unites us while engaging in such behavior.
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. THANKS