Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, has condemned the cyberbullying of Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi at the end of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.
This newspaper reports that Iwobi who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Fulham and the Nigeria national team deleted all his pictures and videos on his official Instagram page after heavy criticism from football fans.
The midfielder played for 79 minutes as the Eagles failed to add to their three AFCON titles after Ivory Coast defeated Nigeria to win the tournament.
Before now, Ahmed Musa used his official X handle to call for peace and harmony while charging football fans to appreciate the players for their performance at the AFCON.
In his reaction to the development, Enoh described such acts as uncalled for and assured the player of the support of Nigerians. The minister who accompanied the Silver winning Super Eagles team back to Abuja from Abidjan in the early hours of Tuesday, met privately with Iwobi to encourage and pep him up.
“I am aware of what is happening on social media and as a ministry, this isn’t the first time we are going to make a statement against bullying, not just you but our sportsmen and women in general who are exposed to bullying due to the outcome of competitions. We are concerned about how our sportsmen and women are treated.
“You did your best for your country and I am proud of you. The leadership and the rest of the country is proud of you. Those who are not are in the far minority and do not speak for the rest of our country, so just be strong. You are part of a team that brought home a silver medal which the country last won at AFCON 2000, which is 23 years ago. You put in your best, thank you very much,” the minister said.
Iwobi in his brief response said he had gone off social media after the AFCON final and was focused on trudging on.
“For me, I have taken myself out of social media after the game,” Iwobi said.
(NAN)
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