International football club, Napoli, recently trolled striker, Victor Osimhen, on TikTok over a missed penalty during a match against Bologna.
Here’s all we know about the situation which has left a bitter taste in the mouth of Nigerians and sparked outrage against the club.
What happened?
Nigerian footballer, Victor Osimhen, striker for international football club, Napoli, lost a penalty that could’ve earned the club a win over its opponent, Bologna, during an Italian league match on Sunday, September 24.
Osimhen was also substituted out 87 minutes into the game, an action which led him to air his frustrations against his manager, Rudi Garcia, during the match. However, according to reports, the footballer apologised to his manager and teammates after his outburst.
A day after the match, the club trolled Osimhen in a now-deleted TikTok video on its official page. This clip which has since gone viral on social media carried the text, “Gimme penalty please” and included a muddled audio playback of the words.
Shortly after the video went live, Nigerians flooded X with their outrage against the club over the distasteful post.
Osimhen’s history with Napoli
The Nigerian footballer joined the Serie A club as a striker in 2020 for a club fee reportedly pegged at €70 million and expected to rise to €80 million with additional add-ons.
Prior to joining the club, Osimhen had played as a striker for French club, Lille.
In the last three years, he’s arguably grown to be the club’s best player. He was the highest goal scorer in the 2022/2023 campaign and won the Serie A Golden Boot. Osimhen’s 1-1 draw at Udinese won the club their first Serie A title in 33 years in May 2023.
In the past, Osimhen has been widely celebrated by both the club and its supporters.
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Calls for public apology
Despite the club taking the video down from TikTok, some Nigerians have called on the club to tender an official apology. Others have asked Osimhen to consider exiting.
This is a developing story.
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