Aina and Iwobi: A call to address cyberbullying in the football community

When Sebastian Haller slotted the match-winning goal past Nigeria’s heroic goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali in the AFCON final last month, the heavily defensive Super Eagles side that had kept opponents from scoring in four of seven matches in Ivory Coast bowed out in heartbreaking yet proud fashion. Yet, for some unfortunate players, a far uglier aftermath was about to unfold off the pitch.

Fast forward only a month later, and disturbing revelations have now emerged of vile targeted harassment and cyberbullying aimed at Ola Aina and Alex Iwobi, two of Nigeria’s AFCON finalists. While fans back home came to terms with a crushing loss to hosts Ivory Coast after leading until the 62nd minute, the online mobs were just warming up their keyboards.

Detailed by Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo over the previous weekend, a purported Nigerian supporter allegedly messaged Nottingham Forest full-back Ola Aina stating that they hoped he died over his perceived error in losing an individual duel to Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra during the final. Any form of death wish directed to a national team representative should instinctively appal all who hear off it. Still, the reported context made it staggeringly worse.

Here was a player who had given his all during a month-long sojourn for his country, forsaking club commitments with the struggling English Premier League side Forest to help Nigeria’s dreams of a historic fourth AFCON triumph come true. Let us reflect on Aina’s selfless contributions. Deployed initially as a wing-back to provide attacking width, he created promising chances before being shifted to left centre-back to shore up a creaking defence, seamlessly adapting to a new role under immense pressure.

Does this sound like a player who deserved such sickening abuse bordering on criminal offence? Does losing an individual duel, where his Ivorian opponent produced a piece of attacking brilliance to send an inviting cross, warrant supposed fans wishing death upon him? Such disproportionate toxicity simply fails the barest tests of logic.

Yet in the parallel universe of faceless social media, the most basic pillars of human decency collapse for some. Hiding behind a cloak of anonymity, the vile cyberbully evidently felt emboldened enough to send an unconscionable message. Would they have expressed the same threat to Aina’s face in the bowels of the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan? The likelihoods are vanishingly small. Online toxicity is too easily spread while offline restraints are self-regulated by real world norms.

Perhaps they expected no reply or their accounts had messaged enough Nigerian players over the years to blur into a single mass. Yet, to Aina and other targets, each loaded message lands like a hammer blow – evidence of a “supporter” wishing death just for losing a duel speaks to the depths online mobs will sink.

Still, Aina’s experience is far from isolated, speaking to a worrying pattern emerging. Cast minds back to the previous AFCON, and then emerging goalkeeper Maduka Okoye similarly faced volumes of vicious posts stating he should never play for Nigeria again following errors after the AFCON exit against Tunisia. A player representing his beloved country on the biggest continental stage then decides his mental health requires withdrawing indefinitely from national selection.

We cannot let faceless cowardly mobs deprive a nation of talented rising stars. The promise of more foreign-born Nigeria’s players switching nationalities to represent Nigeria, as the current case with Arthur Okonkwo, a 22-year-old goalkeeper on loan at Wrexham from Arsenal, can be bungled with such occurrences. What promising player would willingly step forward seeing the torrents of horrific hate some undeservingly endure for simply losing football matches? It tears at the implicit bond connecting fans, players and the national jersey they share such passion for.

Alex Iwobi’s response offers another solemn warning sign – forced to erase his social media presence after targeted ethnic-charged harassment. A platform that should bridge fans and players instead provoked such unbearable toxicity he understandably cut off nearly all of his digital ties. If unchecked, who knows how many diverse diaspora talents with rich backgrounds spanning continents may reconsider pledging international allegiance when abuse awaits for perceived poor performances. How did Iwobi’s familial link with his uncle Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha become the business of fans who ought to be celebrating the commitment he showed representing the green and white.

We must remind ourselves that behind each high-profile case lies a human being with mental health and relationships to protect outside the boundaries of the pitch. Every individual deals with extreme criticism differently and has their personal limits. When violence and death wishes enter the discourse over a leisure pastime, it is mightily obvious that something has gone horribly wrong. This brings us back to the root question – how should the relevant institutions address an issue growing more sinister annually and protect both players and the game?

Governing bodies ought to take stronger stances enforcing codes of conduct for supporters and threatening sanctions for defaulting supporters. Social platforms facilitating anonymous viral spread of hatred must invest far more developing guardrails and identity checks protecting users. Media voices should consistently highlight reprehensible cases when uncovered as teaching moments. Fan communities have to be involved by self-policing and shouting down the worst impulses seeking misery behind others’ misfortune.

Yet, collective cultural shifts protecting the attacked may prove most impactful. We urgently need open dialogues on healthier expressions of high-passion fandom, distinguishing soul-destroying abuse from fact-based analysis. Passion does not excuse causing others’ psychological trauma. Support should not blind us from respectful critiques. In the bleakest cases like those reported, legal consequences should potentially apply.

However, preventing the breeding ground for psychotic death wishes over football results needs early intervention. Coaches must emphasise players’ humanity in pre-tournament media briefings. Captains should record messages explaining dire emotional impacts to true fans. Governing bodies can also launch annual awareness drives keeping supporters’ worst instincts in check. There are options like these and others to exploit if the collective will exists.

The time for action is now before another bright young talent ships off their career in despair. Nigeria boasts boundless skill bubbling up from grassroots dust, but they deserve to chase childhood dreams free from living nightmares in front of screens. The seeds are there for fan cultures celebrating players for the pride they bring during careers inevitably filled with ups and downs.

Rather than soundtracks of marching mobs spitting venom online without accountability, imagine choruses of young fans joyfully chanting their newest rising star’s name. Nigeria’s football environment could cultivate inspiration rather than breed destruction amongst its supporter base. Positivity must be harnessed to drown out performative toxicity, with the next generation role models celebrated instead of hounded.

The beautiful game has always reflected both the sublime skill and bitter ugliness we as human beings exhibit. Yet, Africa’s giants should never have to shrink from the spotlight out of self preservation rather than bask joyfully within it. The bonds uniting fans and footballers should raise spirits, not crush souls. While past horrors cannot be undone, urgent collective intervention may steer the ship towards safer waters where camaraderie defeats toxicity for online fan cultures. Nigeria boasts enviable talent production pipelines that deserve support structures insulating against vile bullying.

The possibility of talented prospects severed from ever representing their nation over online psychos should no longer linger. Dedicated players giving their all when called upon should feel appreciated support through good times and bad.

Rather than shards of broken dreams and death wishes staining football discourse, we collectively have an opportunity to shift cultures where passion breeds inspiration not destruction. The solutions exist if moral willpower aligns. Nigeria’s standout stars stepping onto fields thousands of miles away deserve to know a nation stands firmly behind them.