Ahmed Musa, the captain of the Nigeria national football team, has taken to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to plead with Super Eagles fans to cease cyber attacks against teammate Alex Iwobi.
The appeal comes in the aftermath of Nigeria’s loss to Cote D’Ivoire in the final of the just-concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Speaking on the consequences of cyberbullying in his post, Ahmed Musa said that it goes beyond violating decency and is a serious crime.
He called out the hypocrisy of claiming that football unites people while engaging in such negative behavior.
Musa mentioned that in football, the team succeeds or fails together.
He defended Iwobi, stating that he, like every member of the squad, gave his best on the field.
“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 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.”
Rather than spreading negativity, Musa appealed for genuine love and support for the players, stating that they need encouragement in both victories and defeats.
He concluded the post with a call for unity among fans and gratitude.
News About Nigeria reported that Alex Iwobi faced cyberbullying on social media, which prompted him to delete all his photos on Instagram except one.
Iwobi removed photos from his Instagram handle and restricted comments on the one post left.
