The Nigeria Football Federation and AFC Toronto have condemned the racist abuse suffered by Super Falcons striker Esther Okoronkwo after she shared footage and accusations of a theft in Morocco ahead of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Five members of the Super Falcons' WAFCON squad were alleged victims of theft at the Hotel Marriott in Casablanca over the weekend, with AFC Toronto forward Okoronkwo taking to social media to document the team's attempts to get support from hotel staff.
While the culprit was ultimately arrested, charged and sentenced by local authorities in Casablanca, Okoronkwo received a torrent of social abuse across social media, prompting a response from both Africa and North America.
"The NFF strongly condemns the unacceptable racist abuse directed at Super Falcons forward Esther Okoronkwo on social media following recent incidents at the team's hotel in Morocco," read a statement published by the Nigeria Football Federation on Monday evening.
"Discrimination in any form has no place in football or society.
"The racist abuse and emojis directed at our player make absolutely no sense, especially as the individual responsible for the theft was apprehended, made to return the stolen cash in full, and sentenced to six months in prison.
"The safety, dignity and well-being of our players remain our utmost priority. The entire team stands united, unbothered by distractions, and fully focused on [Tuesday's] WAFCON opener against Malawi."
Okoronkwo's employers, Northern Super League side AFC Toronto, also came out in support of the 29-year-old.
"There is no place for racism - in football, in sport, or in our communities," they shared on their social handles.
"Over the past few days, Esther Okoronkwo has been subjected to racist abuse while representing Nigeria at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
"At AFC Toronto, we believe football should be a place where everyone feels safe, respected and valued. We are proud to stand with Esther and all athletes who face racism and discrimination, both on and off the pitch.
"As Esther shared: 'Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.' Those words are a reminder of the kind of game - and the kind of community - we're all working to build.
"We stand with our players," the statement ended. "We stand with everyone working to make football more welcoming, inclusive and respectful."
The Confederation of African Football are yet to comment on the incident, although Team Security Officer Juliana Ulam confirmed to ESPN that the matter has been resolved after one of the hotel staff admitted responsibility.
"The police took fingerprints and did their forensic investigation, that's how they identified all the housekeepers who went into each room and questioned each of them," she began.
"It was during the questioning that the suspect confessed. He is one of the housekeepers. Only one person was involved. He confessed and agreed to return the money. They told me they would send the money back to us as soon as possible."
According to Okoronkwo's social media testimony, over $1200 was taken from five Super Falcons players, with the Toronto striker herself being allegedly robbed of $700.
"This Hotel Marriott in Casablanca just stole a lot of people's money from their wallets," Okoronkwo posted on her @simplyesii Snapchat handle on Sunday evening.
"They just stole $500 from me, and stole a couple of dollars from my teammates.
"This hotel is so bad, don't ever come here. Their staff steal," she added. "I reported [the theft] and neither [of the receptionists] seemed shocked.
"We started talking to them and they don't have answers. They also started being disrespectful."
Okoronkwo shared a video - without audio - of rightback Michelle Alozie appearing to be in communication with a hotel receptionist, although it wasn't clear what exactly is being discussed.
"They also stole $200 from [Rasheedat Ajibade], $100 from [Osinachi Ohale], they stole $120 from Joy [Omewa], this is ridiculous," Okoronkwo added. "They stole Hali [Ayinde]'s $100.
"I did my calculations wrong. They actually stole $700 [from me], not $500.
"The cleaning people stole the money. They waited while we weren't in the room to clean and steal the money."
Okoronkwo also shared a piece of paper with a Marriott header containing the name and email address of the man she describes as the hotel manager, again urging viewers to write bad reviews for the hotel.
"We were all very shocked by the incident, but everything is being handled," the NFF's Head of Delegation, Ruth David, told ESPN.
"The hotel invited the police, they came in and took statements from the girls."
ESPN contacted staff at the Hotel Marriott in Casablanca, as well as the broader Marriott group, in order to get clarity on the situation, but did not receive a response.
Reporting from Colin Udoh was used in this story
