Sadiq Umar, the Super Eagles striker, has fired a warning shot at trolls criticising the Nigerian team that lost at the just concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
The Super Eagles were defeated 2-1 by Cote d’Ivoire in the AFCON final held on Sunday night at the Olympic Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan.
Shortly after the match, Alex Iwobi, the Super Eagles midfielder, was targeted by trolls on social media; some of whom accused him of putting out a poor performance at the tournament.
Consequently, the Fulham star deleted almost all his posts on Instagram and disabled the comment section of his page.
Despite not playing in the tournament due to a knee injury, Umar has also faced abuse on social media.
“Awoniyi’s case was almost a replica of what happened to Sadiq Umar: late injuries leading to a lack of fitness in time for the Afcon, then, boom, “miraculous” recovery enabling them to represent their clubs when they should have been representing their countries,” an X user wrote.
“Sadiq Umar has not explained to us how got injured a few days before the AFCON and ended up playing a game for his club a few days later,” another user wrote.
Awoniyi's case was almost a replica of what happened to Sadiq Umar: late injuries leading to a lack of fitness in time for the Afcon, then, boom, "miraculous" recovery enabling them to represent their clubs when they should have been representing their countries.
— ODDnigerian (@oddnigerian) February 12, 2024
Sadiq Umar has not explained to us how got injured a few days before the AFCON and ended up playing a game for his club a few days later.
— Chukwunonso (@__grit) February 14, 2024
Reacting to the criticism on his Instagram story, the Super Eagles striker warned that he is not Iwobi and would not hesitate to retaliate by “insulting their parents”.
He also referred to the trolls as “vagabonds” and cautioned that their actions would not lead to a better life for them.
“Abeg oo me I no be Iwobi I go Insult person papa with him mama join,” he wrote.
“Yes I be dat topical Hausa boy abi u see fear for my eyes?
“Pushing someone into depression & mental breakdown, yet you want life to be better for you, e no fit ever better for una! Vagabonds!!!”
