Super Eagles interim head coach Austine Eguavoen has rose up stoutly in defence of goalkeeper Maduka Okoye and Alex Iwobi after they were subject of attack and been held responsible for the nation’s ouster in the hand of Tunisia from the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations currently going on in Cameroon.
The three-time champions crashed out in the second round after a shocking 1-0 defeat to the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.
Okoye was hounded by fans for failing to keep out Youssef Mskani’s shot from outside the area two minutes after the break.
Iwobi, who came in as a replacement for Kelechi Iheanacho in the second half was shown a red card within five minutes of his introduction.
Both faced a lot of flaks on social media with comments ranging from trolling over looks to death wishes upon their families and his loved ones.
“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.”
