February 19, (THEWILL) – Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo has revealed disturbing details about cyberbullying targeted at his teammate, Ola Aina, after the national team’s defeat in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final last week.
Omeruo disclosed that Aina shockingly received a message from a purported Nigerian fan telling the Nottingham Forest full-back that they hoped he would die. This came after Aina lost an individual duel with Ivory Coast’s Simon Adingra during the climactic closing stages of the continental showpiece.
Omeruo insisted that such malicious messages could severely dent players’ confidence and even push them into early international retirement. “If we lose a player like [Aina] just because of some bullying from some fans that are not even important, then it is going to affect us,” he said. Omeruo argued that Aina was one of Nigeria’s top performers in the tournament, making the horrific abuse even more unacceptable.
Analysing the motivations behind online attacks, Omeruo suggested fans often unfairly use footballers as punching bags to vent anger about unrelated issues. “There are a lot of people who are angry for nothing’s sake, and they will come at you,” he said. The bile stems more from the abusers’ own problems than from the players’ displays, according to Omeruo.
While calling for restraint from fans, Omeruo also feels players themselves must develop resilience against online haters. “We just have to grow a thick skin and hopefully keep winning because when we win, they forget about every other thing,” he advised. Rising above criticism and maintaining elite performances appears to be the best policy for sports stars.
The sinister threats aimed at Aina chillingly echo the torrent of online abuse targeting Alex Iwobi after Nigeria’s early exit from the 2022 World Cup. The attacks left Iwobi so disturbed that he deleted almost all social media content. With top talents like Aina and Iwobi impacted, urgent collective action is still required around football’s escalating cyberbullying crisis before more players are hounded out of the sport they love.
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.
