In response to the now-deleted videos published by the club’s official TikTok account making fun of Victor Osimhen, Napoli has finally spoken out. The Serie A winners broadcast two horrific videos earlier this week. One criticising the Nigerian striker for missing a penalty. The other referring to him as a “coconut”—a term that is commonly perceived as a racial insult. Now, Napoli have finally come out and issued a statement on the whole issue. But, fans feel that it is a botched apology and the internet has not reacted kindly.
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Napoli issues statement on Victor Osimhen
Roberto Calenda, the agent for Victor Osimhen, didn’t waste any time in issuing a statement threatening legal action. However, Napoli has now spoken out, claiming that “no offence was intended”. They also said that the TikToks were just supposed to be “lighthearted.” In the 4-1 victory over Udinese on Wednesday night, Osimhen participated and scored, but he did not celebrate.
A statement read, ‘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.’
The statement continued, ‘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 Victor 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.’
Following his miss against Bologna, which was the subject of one of Napoli’s TikToks, he was relieved of his penalty responsibilities.
Earlier this week, Victor Osimhen’s agent fumed, ‘We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor. What happened on Napoli’s official profile is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then belatedly deleted. A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment the boy is suffering.’
Fans not happy with Osimhen statement by Napoli
Even though Napoli have put out a statement, there was no apology in the statement released. A lot of fans online think that this was very obtuse thing to do. Even though the statement says that there was no intention to mock Victor Osimhen, there was no outright apology.
Fans were quick to voice their opinion on the matter. One fan said, ‘He deserves a better team.’ Another fan thinks that Napoli only put the statement out because of the severe backlash. The fan said, ‘Collateral damages.’
The response of Victor Osimhen and his agent to the most recent statement is still to be seen given that it did not include a formal public apology. Osimhen and Rudi Garcia, the manager of Napoli, have looked to be at odds. The striker has been observed criticising his replacement following substitution in recent weeks.
Also Read: After Napoli fallout, Victor Osimhen in great demand, Details here
Victor Osimhen, though, expressed regret to Garcia and his teammates for his behaviour when he was substituted against Bologna. According to reports from earlier on Thursday, Osimhen was dissatisfied with Napoli prior to the social media post.
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Victor Osimhen got a private apology from Napoli officials on Wednesday for the team’s social media activity. But he is disappointed that they did not also issue a public apology.
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