Following Nigeria's loss to Ivory Coast in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on February 11 in Abidjan, Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo has revealed that more players had suffered cyberbullying from some fans because they failed to meet their expectations.
The immediate impact of cyberbullying after the case was Fulham's midfielder Alex Iwobi who was a major victim after the game with the midfielder deleting all his photos on Instagram photos and avoided the media until he returned to his club.
He however got a lot of support from his teammates, the Federal Government, the Minister of Sports and from some well-meaning Nigerians.
Omeruo speaking on their return to Nigeria after the month-long tournament warned that many Super Eagles players may lose their confidence as a result of the disgusting act of fan cyberbullying and might even leave the national team if it is not well-managed.
Ola Aina received threats
Omeruo speaking to Arise News said that even Nigerian defender Ola Aina received a death-threatening message from a supporter after the final game.
“There are a lot of people who are angry for nothing's sake, and they will come at you. Even before this tournament, we've been getting criticism after every game,” he stated.
“For example, someone wrote to Ola Aina on Instagram, ‘I hope you die'. These fans just write whatever they like, they don't care about the consequences of what they send out and most times I personally have stopped myself from replying to a lot of messages,” the Turkish-based defender said.
“If I give a response to such messages, a blog would always pick it up and make a big deal out of it but we just have to grow thick skin and hopefully keep winning because when we win they (fans) forget about every other thing,” he added.
“I was speaking to Ola and he made some comments that I won't say here but if we lose a player like him just because of some bullying from some fans that are not even important, then it's going to affect the entire team.
“Imagine Ola Aina, for me, was one of the best players in the tournament and was named in the Team of the Tournament as well.
“Having one bad game and you result in killing him, even going to his DM and insulting him is terribly wrong and it kills the confidence of the players. They can as well decide to say that it's not worth it coming down to play for the national team hence I'm not coming,” Omeruo continued.
“These players play for their clubs and they earn money at their clubs, so not coming down would mean nothing to them but we should really, really address it,” he concluded.
Ola Aina's Super Eagles impact
The former England U19 captain has gone on to feature for Nigeria 39 times since making his debut in a 2018 World Cup qualifier against Zambia. He was one of the standout players at the recently concluded AFCON and was even named in the CAF XI (team of the tournament).
His ability to use both feet effectively and dictate play whether in helping the attacking or defending has made him one of the most versatile players in the current squad.
Super Eagles defender Ola Aina returned to Nottingham Forest to a hero's welcome after the Africa Cup of Nations but was missing in action in his side's 2-2 draw against fellow strugglers West Ham United at the weekend.
Kenneth Omeruo was one of the two players looking to register another AFCON title to their names in last week's final following its 2013 success in South Africa. That wasn't meant to be as the team lost and it is left to be seen what Omeruo's next move with the national team would be.
