Napoli have released a formal statement following the Victor Osimhen TikTok row. following his penalty miss against Bologna on Sunday.
Nearly 72 hours after the incident, the Serie A champions have now released a statement addressing the issue while failing to apologise to Victor Osimhen. The club disclosed that they ‘never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen’ with the TikTok video.
What is the whole Osimhen TikTok video all about?
The genesis of the whole matter was when Osimhen missed from the penalty spot after being handed the responsibility in the 73rd minute.
Moments later, Napoli coach Rudi Garcia decided to take off Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, and then substituting Osimhen with Giovanni Simeone in the 86th minute.
Napoli fans were not pleased and Osimhen reacted by attempting to tell Garcia that he was wrong to take him off.
A video was making rounds on TikTok as it was posted on the club’s TikTok account depicting Osimhen with a comical high voice appealing for a penalty against Bologna, which he eventually went ahead to miss.
After the video was deleted, Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, threatened legal action against Napoli, while Osimhen went ahead to remove almost all images of himself in the Partenopei jersey from his Instagram account.
Napoli statement on the Osimhen incident
After several days without a word, Napoli have released a formal statement on the issue.
🚨🔵 Napoli official statement on Victor Osimhen and TikTok video case.
“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”.
“As proof of that, during the summer… pic.twitter.com/bSkkW28wI0
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 28, 2023
“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.
“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 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.”
This statement is seen more as a clarification of the post on TikTok and not an apology to Osimhen, who has been very infuriated about the whole situation.
Ultimately, this latest move by the club might not completely calm the situation.
Meanwhile, Osimhen featured for Napoli in Wednesday’s 4-1 Serie A home win over Udinese, scoring one of the goals without his usual celebration.
Will Victor Osimhen leave Napoli?
With what Victor Osimhen has achieved in Naples, he will not be short of offers if he decides to leave Naples next summer. The Nigerian scored 31 goals in all competitions last season leading his side to their first Serie A title since the days of Diego Maradona.
Osimhen had offers from Saudi Arabia in the summer but the club decided not to sell him and are hoping he will sign a new contract that will keep him at the club beyond 2025.
With the ongoing issue and the watery statement from Napoli, Osimhen might be reluctant to sign a contract extension and decide to leave next summer.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 month ago
