Napoli has issued an official statement on the Victor Osimhen TikTok case. But it was anything but apologetic.
In a statement on the club’s website on Monday, Napoli said, “The club wishes to clarify that, in order to avoid the instrumentalization of this issue, it did not want to insult or ridicule Osimhen, a club treasure. As a testament to this, the club firmly rejected offers for Osimhen to move abroad throughout the summer,” the official statement read.
“Social media, and TikTok in particular, has always been a lighthearted and creative form of expression, with no intention of insulting or mocking, as was the case with Osimhen. If Osimen felt offended, this was not the intention of the club,” he added.
The development of the case began on social media. “After a video of Napoli mocking Osimhen was posted on the club’s official TikTok, Osimhen’s agent declared that he would take legal action against Napoli, further escalating tensions,” Italian outlet Football Italia reported on April 27.
Napoli hosted Bologna on Nov. 25 in the fifth round of the 2023-24 Italian Serie A season. In the 25th minute of the second half, Napoli had the decisive opportunity. An opponent committed a handball foul inside the penalty box, which Osimhen strongly protested, and a penalty kick (PK) was awarded. However, Osimen missed the kick.
There were even rumors of a feud with the coach. In the 41st minute of the second half, Rudy Garcia pulled Osimen. During the substitution, Osimhen was caught on camera venting his frustrations to Garcia. Napoli drew 0-0, but were heavily criticized.
The relationship took a turn for the worse. On June 26, a video was posted on TikTok, one of Napoli’s official social media channels, mocking Osimhen. The video has since been removed, but it caused quite a stir. Napoli called the player a “coconut,” a racist slur, and also posted a video of Osimhen missing a penalty kick.
“What happened on Napoli’s official TikTok account is unacceptable. A video mocking Osimhen was first published and later deleted. The player is suffering very serious damage between the media trial and the fake news. We reserve the right to take legal action to protect him.”
On the 28th, Osimhen was given a chance to start, and he scored. However, Osimen didn’t do any celebrations after the goal, just congratulated his teammates. After the game, Garcia said, “I can assure you that Osimhen loves the jersey. He’s 100% invested in our project. Me and Osimhen have a very good relationship. I’m glad he scored today. After the Bologna game we were all frustrated because he missed the PK,” he added, noting that “apart from sports, we had a lot to manage in the last few days on TikTok”.카지노사이트
The club subsequently released an official statement, giving its first direct response to Osimhen’s situation. It wasn’t exactly apologetic. Napoli merely stated that it was “unintentional” and did not offer any apology.
In the aftermath of the incident, Osimhen indirectly expressed his frustration with the club. First, he took down all Napoli-related posts on his social media accounts. There are even reports that Osimhen will leave the club in the upcoming winter transfer window.