Over two days after making a mockery of Nigerian star striker, Victor Osimhen, Napoli has released a statement to insist that they didn’t intend to mock their supposed hero.
Recall that earlier this week, Napoli took to their official TikTok page to share two separate videos mocking Victor Osimhen for missing a penalty in their 0-0 draw against Bologna on Sunday, September 24.
One of the humiliating videos showed Osimhen being projected as a player begging for a penalty and ending up missing it, and in the second one, the club represented Osimhen’s head with a coconut.
Following heavy backlash from across the world over the videos, the club deleted them on Tuesday but didn’t make any official statement concerning the scandal.
In reaction to that, Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, threatened to sue the club for mocking his client. Also, Osimhen was seen in a video snubbing his teammates when he arrived at the team’s hotel ahead of the game against Udinese on Wednesday, September 27.
Despite all the controversies, Victor Osimhen started the Serie A match against Udinese on Wednesday night and scored a goal in Napoli’s 4-1 win.
Earlier today, Napoli issued a statement over the scandal stressing that the handlers of the club’s social media pages, TikTok in particular, were just being light-hearted and creative with no intention of mocking one of their treasures.
The club’s full statement read: “Calcio Napoli, wishing to avoid any exploitation of the issue, points out that we never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, who is a treasure of this club.
“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 offense towards him, this was not what the club intended”.
