The Super Eagles players have frequently encountered harsh online abuse from their own Nigeria fans. Regretfully, this phenomenon has taken hold and is now a part of their journey, overshadowing their contributions on the field and having a detrimental effect on their mental well-being.

In this article, Eduvision explores the experiences of some Super Eagles players who have faced the harsh reality of cyber bullying.

 

Okoye Maduka

The 24-year-old Nigerian shot-stopper who was born in Germany, faced a plethora of jeers and abuse when the Super Eagles were knocked out of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.

Maduka is known for having won the hearts of many Nigerian female football fans for being the most attractive super Eagles player of his generation however was frequently criticised by mostly the male fans.

He was forced to temporarily deactivate his social media accounts due to the persistent attacks on them.

Alex Iwobi

Iwobi experienced severe backlash after the Super Eagles’ performance against ivory Coast in the AFCON 2023 final. The Fulham midfielder and a few other super eagles’ players were singled out by supporters over the team’s performance against the Elephants.

The flood of hateful comments forced him to delete all but one post from his Instagram page of 1.4m followers. Nevertheless, a number of Super Eagles stars have since rallied support for the former Arsenal midfielder, who is currently one of the squad’s most capped players.

Francis Uzoho

The 25-year-old Omonia Nicosea custodian has been the subject of criticism since 2021. First, supporters who were older than he was made fun of Uzoho, the custodian, before he was subjected to constant criticism for his mistakes.

The former Deportivo La Coruna shot-stopper made a huge error when he failed to stop Salman Al-Faraj’s freekick in the 60th minute of a friendly between Nigeria and the Green Eagles of Saudi Arabia. Nigerians took to social media to express their displeasure

Additionally, he was held primarily responsible for Nigeria’s inability to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, as Ghana’s Black Stars advanced while the Super Eagles were eliminated.

Feeling the pressure of the constant trolling, Uzoho snapped at his detractors before apologising.

Yakubu Aiyegbeni

Online abuse is nothing new for the former Super Eagles and Everton striker. His legendary miss in the 2010 World Cup against South Korea is still emblazoned in Nigerian football history.

It serves as a reminder of the fortitude needed to resist the pressures of public opinion that Aiyegbeni has not expressed regret in the face of intense criticism.

Samuel chukwueze

Chukwueze has additionally been the target of abuse on social media. The 24-year-old AC Milan winger was criticised for his performances on the international scene and came under fire after Nigeria lost the AFCON 2023 final to Ivory Coast.

He was also mocked and trolled mercilessly for supposedly having an affair with Ikeme Amara, his best friend who is a woman.

Chukwueze recently deleted all of the Super Eagles-related content from his more than 1.4 million-follower Instagram page and limited his comment section due to the unrelenting hate.