Al Jazeera
By Oluwashina Okeleji
Nigeria got knocked out of the AFCON in the last-16. Some fans decided to take out their frustration on social media.
Yaounde, Cameroon – Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) elimination in the last-16 at the hands of Tunisia was a deep disappointment for the team’s followers.
The Super Eagles were not only favourites to win the tie but also to go all the way to the final, where the prospect of an all-time grudge match against hosts Cameroon was in the offing.
The basis of this confidence was a perfect group stage campaign – Augustine Eguavoen’s side had taken the maximum possible nine points and averaged two goals per match.
But the 1-0 loss for 10-man Nigeria marked the team’s first failure to reach the AFCON last eight since 1984.
The reaction was predictably heated. In particular, two individuals were singled out for significant abuse, much of it hateful.
Having appeared to have been deceived by Youssef Msakni low, swerving winner in the last-16, goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was hounded by Nigeria fans on social media with comments ranging from trolling over his looks to death wishes upon him and his loved ones.
One comment declared he would pass away in a plane crash within a month; another issued a veiled threat if Okoye ever returned to Nigeria.
One user called for divine retribution upon the goalkeeper’s family and accused him of match-fixing.
Okoye had no choice but to disable comments on Instagram posts.
Alex Iwobi, a second-half substitute, was shown a red card within five minutes of his introduction for an inadvertent stamp. He also faced a lot of flak online. In response, he archived all his Instagram posts.
The response to the hate and abuse from inside the Nigeria camp was swift and disapproving.
“People need to act responsibly and not turn their disappointments into hate speech and…
Connect with us on our socials: