The long-standing rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana has continued for years, and with Ghana floundering at the AFCON, Nigerians have taken to social media to tease them.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria beat Cote d’Ivoire 1-0 on Thursday to secure their first three points of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. However, their close neighbours, Ghana, did not have that kind of luck in their own group, as Egypt forced them to a bitter 2-2 draw on Thursday evening.
The outcome puts Ghana in a tight spot, as they now have just one point from two games, as they lost to Cape Verde in their opening fixture.
Following Ghana’s dismal performances, Nigerians have taken to social media to banter them. This is not the first time, though, as citizens of both countries have always been at odds- in sports, food, entertainment, culture and football.
This time, Nigeria has the advantage, and Nigerian footballers have been the ones leading the charge. Following Ghana’s draw against Egypt, Super Falcons star Asisat Oshoala posted on her X page that she was eager to join in the banter.
This triggered a lot of reaction on social media, with Nigerians and Ghanaian fans exchanging barbs at each other on social media. Oshoala also shot some salvos of her own.
Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface, who initially made Nigeria’s AFCON team before getting ruled out due to an injury, also joined in, but he later deleted his post.
While this may be fun, a question remains- should Nigerian professional footballers engage in this kind of banter?
In reality, the average Nigerian youth loves to participate in banter and jokes. It is not surprising that Nigerians enjoy a lot of humorous materials. Also, these players are still quite young, so they can be forgiven if they show a bit of enthusiasm. Napoli star Victor Osimhen used to share a lot of memes on social media, but since the birth of his daughter, it has reduced significantly.
On the other hand, these kinds of actions could hurt the players in the long run. It would put them under the spotlight and make them unnecessary.
Players like Oshoala and Boniface are role models for younger players, and if they fail to behave themselves on social media, they may be setting a bad example for younger players.