Nigerian and Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen could take legal action according to his agent, Roberto Calenda against his club, SSC Napoli following a penalty miss incident on Sunday in the Serie A, which was ridiculed by the club on TikTok.
Osimhen joined Napoli in the summer of 2020 for a club record fee of €81.3m from Ligue 1 outfit Lille and has since gone on to play a pivotal role in helping the Partenopeis in securing their first Scudetto in 33 years.
The Nigerian striker showed great feat in Napoli’s title winning season by scoring 26 goals in 32 Serie A appearances and claiming the capocannoniere (Serie A top scorer) award en route to Napoli’s title triumph, which has earned him a spot amongst the 30 best players to be nominated by France football for the Ballon d’Or.
However, a change in managerial appointment has seen Victor Oshimen and Napoli adversely affected, with the defending champions winning 2 out of their first 5 games played hence amassing 8 points in the process. This puts them 3 points worse off at this same stage last season.
New manager, Rudi Garcia has been under immense pressure since replacing now Italian manager Lucianno Spalleti at Napoli, with a visible frustration and a bit of heated argument between the former and the Nigerian forward. The feud is alleged to have been fueled by Osimhen’s substitution in the 86th minute of the Napoli’s Serie A game against Bologna on Sunday highlighting the struggles of the former Al-Nassr gaffer.
The said game has created controversies and tension between Victor Osimhen camp and Napoli after Osimhen missed a penalty kick in the 72nd minute in Napoli’s stalemate against Bologna on Sunday.
Napoli then shared a video on their TikTok account after the game, showing the striker missing the penalty against Bologna, with a high-pitched voice saying ‘gimme penalty please’ dubbed over the top.
Victor Osimhen could sue Napoli for the video, according to his agent Roberto Calenda.
Calenda called Osimhen’s treatment by the club unacceptable, emphasizing the player’s plight whilst adding that the legal action would be a measure to protect the Football striker.
“What happened today on the official Napoli profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, albeit late, deleted; a serious fact which causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment suffered by the boy in the last period between the media trials and the fake news. We reserve the right to initiate legal proceedings and any useful initiative to protect Victor.”
Napoli are in action against Udinese on Wednesday afternoon, a side which Osimhen scored against to clinch the Serie A title in May. Despite the on going row, Oshimen has been included in Napoli’s matchday squad to take on Udinese.
–
Story by: Andrews Sefa Bamfo | univers.ug.edu.gh
