How fans’ cyberbullying affected us at AFCON— Omeruo

Super Eagles’ veteran defender Kenneth Omeruo has shed light on the impact of cyberbullying on the team during the recently concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), while also uncovering the hidden factor behind their relative success at the tournament.

Nigeria headed into the AFCON 2023 on the back of a poor run, with injuries plaguing key players. But despite the setbacks, the three-time African champions defied the odds to reach the final undefeated, before ultimately losing 2-1 to hosts Côte d’Ivoire at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan on Sunday, February 11, 2024.

Before and after the conclusion of AFCON 2023, some Nigerian players were subjected to cyberbullying.

Alex Iwobi and Ola Aina were the notable players scapegoated for Nigeria’s performance in the final—a development Omeruo vehemently criticized in his recent chat with Arise News.

His words, “There are a lot of people who are angry for nothing’s sake and they will come at you. Before this tournament, we have been getting criticisms.

“For example, someone wrote to Ola Aina on Instagram, ‘I hope you die’. They just write whatever, they don’t care about the consequences and most times I have stopped myself from replying to a lot of messages.

“If I reply like this, one blog will pick it and they will make a big deal out of it but we just have to grow thick skin and hopefully keep winning because when we win they forget about every other thing.”

He continued, “I was speaking to Ola and he made some comments that I won’t say here but if we lose a player like him just because of some bullying from some fans that are not even important, then it is going to affect us.

“Imagine Ola Aina, for me, was one of the best players in the tournament and was named in the Team of the Tournament as well.”

Omeruo who was mostly deployed as a substitute at AFCON 2023, missed out on the chance, alongside Ahmed Musa, to become the first Super Eagles player to win the AFCON twice, following their previous triumph under the leadership of the late Stephen Keshi in 2013.

Despite the disappointment, the Kasimpasa defender believes the team had a successful outing, one which was catalysed by their unwavering self-belief.

“The team believes in itself, and knows it can perform better,” Omeruo told Arise News.

“I hoped that we would win gold at the 2023 AFCON, nonetheless, our eyes are on AFCON 2025,” he added.

Against the backdrop of their impressive outing at the AFCON 2023, Football 411 reported that the Super Eagles of Nigeria moved 14 places up to 28th position in the latest FIFA ranking released on February 15, 2024.