Coach Austin Eguavoen is unhappy with how the fans treated Maduka Okoye and Alex Iwobi after Nigeria’s elimination from the 2021 African Cup of Nations.
Okoye and Iwobi were subjected to abuses from angry fans after Super Eagles suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in the last 16 affair.
Okoye failed to save what appeared to be a weak shot that led to the goal, while Iwobi was shown a straight for a dangerous tackle in the second half.
Commenting on the issue, Eguaveon in an interview with Al Jazeera frowned at the abuses directed to the players and their families.
“People need to act responsibly and not turn their disappointments into hate speech and threats against some players,” coach Eguavoen told Al Jazeera.
“These players gave their everything and there is no way you can single them out for blame. Playing for Nigeria comes with a lot of pressure, but you cannot bully, threaten or abuse someone for defending the honour of the country because you have access to social media. This is wrong and irresponsible.”
Meanwhile, Alex Iwobi is likely to miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoff against Ghana next month.
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