February 01, (THEWILL) – Following Nigeria’s elimination from the TotalEnergies 2021 Cup of Nations in Cameroon, Augustine Eguavoen has denounced the behaviour of fans who harassed and threatened Super Eagles players, especially Alex Iwobi and Maduka Okoye.
The Super Eagles became a favourite for the AFCON title after a flawless group stage campaign, despite the absence of important players and sub-optimal preparations. The Eguavoen-led team won all nine points by defeating Egypt, Sudan, and Guinea-Bissau.
However, the Super Eagles were defeated 1-0 by Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles in the second round, putting an end to their quest for a fourth continental title.
Goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was chastised by fans for conceding from Youssef Msakni’s long-range strike early in the second half of the match. Some fans were also disappointed with Alex Iwobi, who was sent off just five minutes after coming off the bench.
Following the game, supporters took to social media to harass and threaten the players, causing Iwobi and Okoye to remove their social media accounts and Eguavoen believes such fans went too far in expressing their displeasure with the team’s setback.
The Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation focused his point on the sacrifices that players make when representing the country saying “People need to act responsibly and not turn their disappointments into hate speech and threats against some players.
“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.”
After the Super Eagles were eliminated from the Nations Cup, Eguavoen stepped down as interim head coach, as THEWILL reported.
However, Jose Peseiro, the newly-appointed head coach of the senior men’s national football team, has yet to take over as the three-time continental champions’ in a substantive position.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
