Italian club Napoli breaks silence over controversial TikTok video which appeared to mock Nigerian international Victor Osimhen.
In a statement sighted by The Herald, Napoli described Osimhen as the treasure of the club, therefore, they didn’t mean to mock him.
The Herald recalls that Osimhen had missed a penalty during their Serie A match against Bologna last weekend, before being involved in a bust-up with coach Rudi Garcia on the touchline.
Two days later, the club shared a video on its TikTok handle which was met with criticisms from football fans and pundits around the world, with the player deleting all Napoli-related pictures on his Instagram handle.
Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, further threatened to take legal action against the Serie A club.
The 24-year-old, however, was on target in their 4-1 win over Udinese on Wednesday but failed to celebrate the goal.
Reacting to the development, Napoli said they meant no offence towards Osimhen.
Napoli wrote, “Calcio Napoli, wishing to avoid any exploitation of the issue, point out that we never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, who is a treasure of this club,” the statement reads.
“As proof of that, during the summer training retreat, the club firmly rebuffed every offer that was received for the striker’s transfer abroad.
“Social media, in particular, TikTok, has always used an expressive form of language with a light heart and creativity, without wanting to, as in the case with Osimhen as the protagonist, have any intention of insult or derision.
“In any case, if Victor perceived any offence towards him, this was not what the club intended.”