Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, has appealed to Nigerians to refrain from cyberbullying his teammate, Alex Iwobi, in the aftermath of Nigeria’s loss to Ivory Coast at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Daily Post reports that following the Super Eagles loss to Ivory Coast, unpleasant remarks were hurled at Iwobi by some fans who faulted his performance in the game.
As a result, Iwobi, who currently plays for Fulham in the Premier League, confirmed leaving social media after the AFCON final match following the bullying.
Some unconfirmed reports later emerged online suggesting the former Arsenal star was considering calling time on his international career.
However, Osimhen has now shown his support to Iwobi, calling for the bullies to look at the mental health of Iwobi as footballers are only humans prone to making mistakes.
“I urge Nigerians that cyberbullying is bad because we are also humans,” the Napoli star said in Abuja on Tuesday.
“Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes, we have a good game, and we will get the hype. But of course, when you criticise, you have to be constructive when doing this type of thing.
“I think, to be fair, what they have done to Alex [Iwobi] is out of this world and not good. They should also look at his mental health because there are some of us who can take this to heart and then keep on grinding.
“And there are some of us that it gets to our heads, and they will lose focus, and we will lose form. So I think we are rallying around him. We have spoken to him individually and collectively.”