Doherty says Iwobi was not taken offline because of cyberbullying — Sports — Headline News – Nigeria and World News

David Doherty, a candidate for the 2022 Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) presidential election, has made some clarifications on the online bullying allegations against Alex Iwobi.

The Fulham midfielder was accused of bullying after Nigeria lost to hosts Ivory Coast in the 2023 AFCON final.

Nigeria's defeat sparked a wave of criticism against Iwobi, who took the drastic step of deleting all photos from his Instagram page to protect himself from the onslaught of online abuse.

However, Doherty issued a statement on Thursday quickly clarifying the claims that he was taken offline due to harsh criticism.

Football administrators have revealed that Iwobi has returned home safely to London and will resume training with Fulham on Thursday morning, allowing him to take part in selection.

“According to sources close to Alex Iwobi, he did not go offline because of bullying. Let's get this fact right. He simply went offline to focus on the tournament” Doherty said on Facebook.

“When you're 28 instead of 27, problems like that are going to come from people you don't even know or anything, no. In reality, Alex didn't feel cyberbullied, but honestly he was a little tired. It's coming.

“Alex clearly accepts constructive criticism from coaches and people he trusts. So this poor kid is sitting in a corner crying over comments from people he doesn't care about and from himself. I'm quite surprised by his portrayal.'' You need other people to fight for you.

“He doesn't feel bullied by anyone because what they say has no effect on him at all,” Doherty quoted a source as saying via WhatsApp.

According to Doherty, a source close to Iwobi said the so-called bully is definitely in the minority as football-loving Nigerians recognize the player's dedication and what he has brought to the Super Eagles. It added.

The source said that, unfortunately, minority voices are always very loud, and if Iwobi at this stage in his career is being influenced by comments from people he doesn't know or respect, people should be pretty worried. He added.

He stressed that football requires mental strength and if Iwobi cannot deal with haters at this point in his career, he may as well hang up his shoes.

Sadly, Iwobi was not able to reach the standard that many Nigerians raised against his name in the 2023 AFCON, but in all fairness, the 3-4 that the Eagles employed in most of their matches -3 formation was disadvantageous for him.

Iwobi was at his best in Nigeria's opening group game against Equatorial Guinea, and could have registered two assists if not for Victor Osimhen and Zaidu Sanusi's profligacy in front of goal.

Iwobi, the nephew of Nigerian football legend Austin JJ Okocha, was fingered for conceding Nigeria's first goal in the final against Ivory Coast.

Source: guardian.ng