IKEJABIRD 
SPORTS 
Ighalo and Enyeama condemn abuse of Uzoho and Okoye after Nigeria’s World Cup failure.
The Super Eagles legends have expressed their dissatisfaction following insults directed at the goalkeepers.
Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo and ex-international Vincent Enyeama are not happy with the abuse aimed at goalkeepers Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho.
Sparta Rotterdam’s Okoye was the first to see the dark side of football fans having conceded a poor goal in the Super Eagles’ 1-0 loss to Tunisia in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 match.
The new Watford signing was barracked on social media with insults following his gaffe against the North Africans in Garoua.
“I felt sad about all the abuse. I know Nigerians always want to win, but these are young boys,” Ighalo told Reporters.
“One mistake is not the end of the world. People tend to forget that footballers are humans too. We cannot destroy the confidence of these boys because of one mistake.
“Okoye is a good goalkeeper. Uzoho is a good goalkeeper and they will grow and learn from this experience. But they need support.
“Sharing the former Manchester United striker’s sentiment is former Nigeria captain Enyeama.
“It makes me feel disappointed because football is just a game. It’s not our life,” the former Lille man said.
“Nobody’s life depends on football. So it’s very disappointing to hear that the young guy [Maduka] had some death threats, then that Uzoho had some issues after that game [against Ghana]. Nobody wants to go on the field and make mistakes.”
Enyeama also advised Okoye and Uzoho on what they can do to focus on their promising careers.
“I stopped reading the press. I stopped listening, I stopped going on Facebook,” he continued. It is really one of the reasons I deactivated my first Instagram account because I had so many threats back then. I shut out the noise. I moved on, I grew past it and I learned to develop a thick skin and just focus on the prize.
“That is the same thing I will advise them because that is how I came out of it.”I support them and the one thing I will say is Nigerians should know they can never get another Vincent Enyeama.
“I know that people are judging them by that standard, but there’s only one Vincent Enyeama, only one version of every player.”
