Victor Osimhen’s rise to the top tier of club football has been nothing short of remarkable. The Nigerian moved from Lille to Napoli in 2020 and instantly became a revelation for the team, leading it to its first Scudetto since 1990 and winning the Golden Boot as the top scorer in Serie A with 26 league goals.
Osimhen has also started this season strongly despite Napoli’s decline. However, a couple of social media posts on the club’s official TikTok account have led to backlash from Napoli fans, with Osimhen now releasing a public statement to defend the club against accusations of racism.
Victor Osimhen issues public statement
Napoli witnessed the wrong side of their fans after posting some controversial videos of Victor Osimhen on their official TikTok account. This caused some fans, especially people from Osimhen’s native Nigeria, to accuse the Italian club of racism, as the club initially refused to comment on the incident. Victor Osimhen has taken a bold step in releasing a public statement to defend Napoli and the people of Naples against these racism claims.
“Coming to the city of Naples in 2020 was a wonderful decision for me”, he said in the statement on social media. “The people of Naples have shown me so much love and kindness, and I will not allow anyone to come between us. The passion of the people of Naples fuels my fire to always play with my heart and soul, and the love for the badge is unwavering as I wear it with pride.”
“The accusations against the people of Naples are untrue. I have a lot of friends who are Napolitans and have become part of my family and everyday life. I appreciate Nigerians and everyone for lending their voices to support and reach out to me. Thank you so much, I’m forever grateful”, he concluded.
Napoli received fan heat for deleted social media post
A video of Victor Osimhen appealing for a penalty and missing it was posted on Napoli’s TikTok account in what appeared to be a mockery video of the Nigerian striker. The video received a lot of backlash from fans of the club, forcing the club to delete it and eventually releasing a statement to apologize to Osimhen where they called him “a treasure of the club.”
Victor Osimhen did not appreciate the mockery, as he deleted all Napoli-related posts on his Instagram, ignored his teammates in the team hotel, and refused to celebrate when he scored against Udinese. The trouble now seems to be over after Osimhem released a statement to defend Napoli and the people of Naples.
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