Naples (Reuters)
Napoli said that it never intended to offend its striker, Victor Osimhen, through sarcastic videos on social media, but the Italian league champions stopped short of apologizing to the Nigerian international player.
The Italian team posted a video clip on TikTok mocking Osimhen’s miss of a penalty kick in a scoreless draw with Bologna last Sunday, and it was later deleted.
Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, later threatened to take legal action, while the 24-year-old player removed all photos of himself wearing a Napoli shirt from his social media accounts.
A statement on the team’s official website said: “To avoid any possible exploitation of the matter, Napoli would like to make clear that the club never intended to offend or ridicule Victor Osimhen, who is an asset to the club, and over the course of the summer, Napoli rejected all offers to sell the striker, which is evidence.” He affirmed the club’s appreciation for him, and on social media, and TikTok in particular, expressive language is used in a playful manner, and in this case regarding Victor there was no intention of ridicule or offence.”
He added, “If Victor feels insulted in any way, this was not the club’s intention at all.”
Osimhen helped Napoli end their 33-year wait for the league title last season, as he was the top scorer in the Italian League with 26 goals.
Despite the dispute, he played and scored in Napoli’s 4-1 victory over Udinese in the league, raising his tally to four goals in seven matches this season.
Napoli, the defending champion, ranks fifth in the league, and faces Lecce on Saturday, before hosting Real Madrid in the Champions League.
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