Alex Iwobi Wipes Instagram Amid Reported Abuse from Nigerian Fans After AFCON Final Loss

• Host nation, Ivory Coast, beat Nigeria 2-1 to win AFCON 2023
• Alex Iwobi was reportedly scapegoated by fans after the loss
• The Fulham midfielder has since wiped his Instagram handle

Super Eagles midfielder, Alexander Iwobi, has reacted to reported abuse from Nigerians who are blaming him for the country's loss in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final.

Nigeria battled their way to the last round of Africa's premier competition but fell short in the last game, with the hosts scoring two second-half goals to win it on home soil.

Captain, William Troost-Ekong, gave the Super Eagles the lead in the first half, but headers from Franck Kessie and Sebastien Haller turned it around for the Elephants.

Fans of the Nigerian national team have vented their frustration on social media and appear to have picked on a handful of the players, including Iwobi and Ola Aina.

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Iwobi wipes Instagram account

The apparent wave of abuse from the fans has seemingly gotten to the Fulham midfielder, who has wiped his Instagram page, as spotted by journalist, Pooja Media.

The 27-year-old most likely did not delete all his pictures. Instead, he probably archived them to prevent fans from going onto them and dropping any hateful comments.

He was given a difficult task at the AFCON, playing as a deep-lying playmaker in Jose Peseiro’s 3-4-3 alongside Frank Oneyka - a role he was not very familiar with.

Per Goal, Iwobi was born in Lagos but grew up in London, representing England at a youth level. He has named his uncle, Jay Jay Okocha, as his major influence.

He came through the Arsenal academy at Hale End and played 100 Premier League games before being sold to Everton in 2019, where he played for four years.

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Iwobi returned to London with Fulham at the start of this season.

Iwobi discloses Musa’s impacts

Sports Brief also previously reported on Iwobi explaining Ahmed Musa's impact on the Super Eagles team despite not featuring for a single minute of AFCON 2023.

The Sivasspor winger is the captain but was not played by Peseiro, yet Musa's teammates have still praised him for his leadership and keeping the squad together.