Napoli have released a formal statement assuring they ‘never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen’ with the TikTok video, but stopped short of offering him an apology.
The striker was infuriated after a video was posted on the club’s official TikTok account depicting him with a comical high voice appealing for a penalty against Bologna, which he then fired wide of the target.
His agent Roberto Calenda threatened legal action against Napoli, while Osimhen removed all images of himself in the Partenopei jersey from his own social media accounts.
This evening, Napoli released a formal statement on the club website.
“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.”
It is not exactly an apology, more a clarification of their intention, but it might not be enough to completely calm the situation.
Osimhen did play and score for Napoli in last night’s 4-1 Serie A victory over Udinese, but he was probably expecting more than this statement.
I don’t see how it’s possible to interpret that video as anything other than mocking him. Like, he’s their star player, and they make a video of him with a silly voiceover begging to take the penalty, then missing it. That’s the sort of thing you might do for your opponents, not for your own players! Anyway, I think it’s a given Osimhen was leaving even before this happened, Napoli‘s planets all aligned last year with perfect transfers, perfect play, finally consistent, and their rivals for the title all playing incredibly poorly. But with a different manager and a changed team, and their rivals so far looking strong, it seems Napoli will be back to fighting for 4th spot, and I’m sure Osimhen will be looking for something more ambitious. I’ll bet this latest BS from Napoli is something that helps him solidify his decision to move.
No apology means a lack of respect for Osimhen.
I can see him handing in his transfer request in the Winter.