British born Nigerian football star Dele Alli was booed every time he touched the ball during the pre-World Cup friendly match yesterday between Nigeria and England.
And Nigerians have revealed the reason behind their action of the popular social media platform, twitter.
Bamidele Jermaine Alli, popularly known as Dele Alli, is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team.
Born on April 11, 1996 to Nigerian father, Kenny and English mother, Denise, Alli was raised in Milton Keynes.
In the run-up to the World Cup when a national team was being assembled for Nigeria, Alli opted to play for his country of birth, England.
This didn’t seem to sit well with Nigerian football fans who see his decision as not good enough.
Dele Alli is not new to controversy, though, as FIFA once banned the England midfielder for one international match following his middle-finger gesture in the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Slovakia late 2017.
He was also fined 5,000 Swiss francs (£3,852) by the governing body, which described the gesture as “offensive and unsporting.”
Nigerians took to Twitter to discuss why Alli was booed throughout the Nigeria-England Friendly, which England won 2:1.
See reactions below:
Nigerian fans booing Dele Ali ’cause he snubbed his fatherland for England, I bet most English fans don’t even know he’s half Nigerian #ENGNGA
Soccer Football – International Friendly – England vs Nigeria – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – June 2, 2018 England’s Dele Alli in action with Nigeria’s Abdullahi Shehu REUTERS/Darren Staples
