Osimhen’s agent says the player could sue Napoli after a video seemingly mocking his penalty miss was posted and then deleted from the club’s TikTok account.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is reserving “the right to take legal action” against his own club after a bizarre video seemingly mocking the player was posted and then deleted from the Serie A side’s official TikTok account.
The Nigerian striker’s agent Roberto Calenda released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying the video caused “very serious damage to the player”.
“What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted,” Calenda said in the statement on Tuesday.
“We reserve the right to take legal action and any other useful initiative to protect Victor.”
Osimhen missed a late penalty in a goalless draw against Bologna in Serie A on Sunday and the video featured a clip of the striker’s penalty miss with an odd, sped-up voice dubbed over the top.
???????? This was the original video posted by Napoli about Victor Osimhen… and then deleted.
⚠️ …player’s agent Calenda announced that Osimhen is considering to take legal action against Napoli. pic.twitter.com/0PLunco9aD
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 26, 2023
Last season, Osimhen helped the Italian team secure a first league title, the club’s first in three decades, by scoring 31 goals across all competitions.
The strange social media clip comes after there appeared to be tension between Osimhen and Napoli manager Rudi Garcia during the game.
The 24-year-old striker was seen berating Garcia as he was substituted with four minutes remaining of the goalless draw.
After the match, Garcia told reporters: “Even the greatest players in the history of football miss penalties. As for when he went off, we talked about that, what I say to my players remains in the locker room.”
Osimhen, who captured the interest of Manchester United this summer, did not agree to sign a new contract with the Italian team.
Champions Napoli are seventh in the standings and play Udinese at home on Wednesday.