Alex Iwobi: Okocha Sends Message to Super Eagles Star After Fans Backlash

• Nigerian legend, Jay-Jay Okocha, has spoken in defence of his nephew Alex Iwobi
• The Super Eagles midfielder has faced a lot of criticism from Nigerian fans online
• Iwobi has been blamed for the Super Eagles' AFCON final loss to hosts Ivory Coast

Super Eagles legend Augustine Jay-Jay Okocha has spoken in defence of his nephew and Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi following the online bullying the player has suffered from Nigerian supporters.

The 27-year-old midfielder was forced to delete all his Instagram pictures amid fans' criticisms after he was singled out for the Super Eagles' loss at the Africa Cup of Nations final to Ivory Coast.

Nigeria, against all odds, reached the final of the AFCON but lost 2-1 to the Elephants, which prompted fans to turn on Iwobi, but Okocha has taken to social media to send his best wishes to the midfielder.

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‘’I pray for my country Nigeria and the people that can only hate and see nothing good in others when effort counts for nothing, treat people the way you want them to treat you, all we have in this life is each other, we love you @alexanderiwobi and we keep going no matter what they say, the Lord is good all the time, and we trust that his will be done in our lives amen''.

Iwobi featured for 79 minutes in Nigeria’s defeat to Ivory Coast and was replaced by Alhassan Yusuf in the second half.

Singer Falz defends Alex Iwobi

Meanwhile, famous Nigerian musician and activist, Folarin Falana, also known as Falz, has resorted to social media to defend Super Eagles star Iwobi following online bullying suffered by the player, Daily Post reports.

Nigerians have heavily criticised Iwobi on the internet following his supposed bad performance in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.

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Falz remarked that every single player who wears green and white to represent Nigeria at the AFCON match has made a sacrifice and does not deserve to be treated unfairly.

Iwobi wipes all Instagram posts

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Iwobi responded to reported insults from Nigerians who blamed him for their country's failure in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final by deleting his Instagram posts.

The Super Eagles battled their way to the final round of Africa's biggest competition, but fell short in the final encounter, with the hosts scoring two second-half goals to win at home.