Fans urged to stop trolling Iwobi after Afcon loss

The captain of Nigeria's Super Eagles football team has led calls to end online bullying against midfielder Alex Iwobi.

Some football fans have been trolling Iwobi on social media, blaming the 27-year-old player for their country's 1-2 loss to Ivory Coast in Sunday's Afcon final.

Iwobi played in the match for 79 minutes, before he was substituted by Alhassan Yusuf.

The online attacks prompted Iwobi to delete his Instagram pictures on Monday.

Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa and some other Nigerians have come to Iwobi's defence, condemning the targeted online attacks against the player and saying it is unfair to single him out for the team's loss.

"Dear fans, I want to please urge you to halt the cyber-bullying directed towards Alex Iwobi," Musa shared on X, formerly Twitter.

"Losing a game is undoubtedly tough, but targeting a single player for the team's shortcomings is unfair and unjust. We win as a team, and we lose as a team. Alex gave his all on the field, just like every member of our squad," he added.

Iwobi is yet to comment on the attacks against him.