In what could go down in history as one of their greatest undoings ever, Italian football champion, Napoli, has made costly mistakes that they may never clean up.
The club, which recently won their first Italian Serie A title in over 30 years thanks to a heroic season-round performance by Super Eagle forward, Victor Osimhen, has now lost their once upon a time sweet relationship with their goal machine.
Napoli vs Bologna: Beginning of an end between lovebirds?
Just like every other day, Osimhen last Sunday stepped onto the pitch donning Napoli’s football jersey against Bologna in what appears to be the beginning of an end of the once soothing relationship between the two parties.
Napoli, which entered the game as a clear favorite to win the match, were frustrated throughout the game, finding it difficult to penetrate and find the back of the net of their opponent.
However, a glimpse of hope arrived in the 72nd minute of the game when Napoli were awarded a penalty kick. Unfortunately, the penalty was missed by Victor Osimhen, and the hope of winning the game became slimmer.
To make the already bad situation worse for Osimhen, Napoli’s coach, Rudi Garcia, subbed him off in the 79th minute of the game, a decision which apparently did not go well with the striker
Displeased by his substitution, Osimhen was caught on camera airing his frustration to the coach during the game, which later ended in a goalless draw for both teams.
TikTok video: Napoli’s many undoings in one clip.
Just when it seemed Osimhen’s nightmare over the penalty miss was over, his once beloved Italian club took to the popular social media platform, TikTok, to post a video mocking him for missing the crucial penalty during the game.
The now-deleted video has continued to spark reactions from Nigerians and sports lovers all over the world, with many describing it as an insensitive act.
Reacting to the mockery video on X (formerly Twitter), legendary Nigerian music artiste, Timaya tweeted, “Napoli and the World should put some respect on Osimhen’s Name. They’ve not had a player like that since Maradona 🤷🏽♂️🇳🇬.”
Also commenting on the development, another X user @OgbeniDipo wrote, “The disrespect that Napoli has shown Osimhen suggests that no matter the level of success he brings them he will always be an outsider. They want the goals and the success but they don’t want him.”
Another user @DeanCFC tweeted, “Napoli’s treatment of Victor Osimhen has been poor to say the least, a player that has brought them their first Scudetto in 30 years should be shown more respect. This is a player that fits the Chelsea mould, he is 24 and he is a natural born goalscorer. Should Chelsea break the bank for him in January?”
“He should stop playing for that racist club and force his way out .. his loyalty isn’t respected.” @BeekKhaybee opined.
“Napoli admin is on Tiktok trolling Victor Osimhen and blocking the comment section. I can understand if this was coming from a rival club but shading your own player is insane.” @_AsiwajuLerry reacted.
Osimhen’s rage and legal action threat
In his reaction, Osimhen took to his Instagram account to delete all Napoli-related content.
A check by Sporting Tribune revealed that only one Napoli-related post remains on his Instagram account as at the time of filing this report.
Also reacting, Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, in a move to protect his client, has suggested that legal action could be taken against the Serie A champions for mocking the striker on a public forum.
A statement by Calenda reads, “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.
“A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news. We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.”
Osimhen called up for Napoli’s next game, Nigerians react
Seemingly unperturbed by the development, Napoli’s coach, Rudi Garcia, has called up Victor Osimhen for their next game against Udinese.
However, netizens have kicked against the call-up, insisting that Osimhen should not represent the club again until they tender an unreserved apology to him over the mockery video.
Reacting to the call up, @vianneylordzius wrote, “We want an apology. And he shouldn’t play until they apologize. The apology should be as loud as the disrespect!!!!”
Supporting his stands, another X user @1Lucifer_1 tweeted, “He should stop playing for them until they apologize to him.”
“They should apologize for that video they posted on their page.” @jiji_byte opined.