Ahmed Musa, the Super Eagles captain, has called on Nigerians to refrain from “cyberbullying” Alex Iwobi following the team’s loss to Cote d’Ivoire in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.

On Sunday, Nigeria suffered a 2-1 defeat against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the AFCON final at the Olympic Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan.

Nigeria initially took the lead with a powerful header from William Troost-Ekong in the first half before Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller secured goals in the second half for the Ivorians. Despite the team effort, Iwobi faced criticism on social media from fans who singled him out for the team’s performance.

Post-match, he became the target of trolls on social media, accused of delivering a subpar performance during the tournament, resulting in Iwobi deleting most of his Instagram posts.

In response, Musa took to his X account on Monday, stating in a tweet that cyberbullying is both a violation of decency and a serious crime. He highlighted the hypocrisy of claiming football unites while fans engage in such behaviour.

Musa’s full message reads:

“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. 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. 👏🦅🇳🇬 THANKS.”

William Troost-Ekong, the Super Eagles deputy captain, endorsed Musa’s message. The newly crowned AFCON player of the tournament quoted his teammate’s post and said, “We are with you, Skippo.”