Lyon Set to Sanction Nigerian Star Over Social Media Activity Despite Apology

• Olympique Lyonnais are set to hit a Nigerian player with sanctions over his social media activity
• The French club queried striker Gift Orban over his post after the team drew 2-2 with AJ Auxerre
• Orban apologised after realising his post did not go well with the right quarters but it was not enough

French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais are set to hit a Nigerian footballer with heavy sanctions over his social media activity despite apologising for the incident.

The stocks of Nigerian players are on the rise at top European clubs, and as such, their presence on social media has risen, too, with many finding creative ways to interact with fans.

Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface is leading a revolution in this new trend, with his social media activity mainly around cruise and memes, allowing him to socialise with football fans and casuals.

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These activities are not without their downsides as some appear to go over the line, raising eyebrows over their professionalism as they are seen as disrespectful to opponents or show no remorse after defeat.

Lyon to sanction Gift Orban

Nigerian forward Gift Orban may have landed in hot water in France after his social media activity crossed the ethics line with French club Lyon’s hierarchy.

As noted by Soccernet, Orban, who was not in the squad for the match, commented “top 🔥🔥” under former Lyon teammate and friend Sinaly Diamonde’s post after his goal and assist for AJ Auxerre.

The former Super Eagles invitee, realising his comment had angered the fans, apologised and explained that he meant it to encourage his friend and was “unaware” it was at the expense of his team.

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According to RMC Sport, the club will not let it slide and have called him for a disciplinary faceoff, and possible sanctions could see him lose his ethics bonus.

This adds to the problems for the struggling young striker, who, alongside Ivorian forward Wilfred Zaha, was removed from the first-team squad due to disciplinary issues last month, as reported by L’Equipe.

The incident was further heightened by the acrimonious terms which Diamonde left the club after he was frozen out of the team by Pierre Sage, as reported by Foot Mercato.

A Nigerian photojournalist and branding specialist spoke exclusively to Legit.ng incident, claiming the incident is a major gaffe that most footballers, particularly Africans, could fall victim to.

“This is an avoidable problem that he has found himself. That is why we encourage footballers to hire professionals to handle their accounts. Even if you retain your password and control, let those with the knowledge moderate your contents,” he said.

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Onyemaechi sends message to Todd Boehly

Legit.ng reported that Super Eagles star Bruno Onyemaechi sent a message to Chelsea owner Todd Boehly on social media after scoring his first goal for Portuguese club Boavista.

The post quickly received negative feedback, forcing the fullback to retract it and claim his social media account was hacked and not under his control for about three days.

Source: Legit.ng