"Collateral damage" "Deserves a better team" - Fans react as Victor Osimhen snubs Napoli teammates amid threat of legal action
Victor Osimhen was spotted snubbing two of his Napoli teammates as he headed into the team's hotel today (September 27) amid his agent's threat of taking legal action against the club. Fans have advised the Nigerian superstar to leave the reigning Serie A champions after they uploaded a controversial TikTok post mocking the forward.
Gli Azzurri's video showed Osimhen missing a penalty in their 0-0 draw with Bologna on Sunday (September 24). A voice was sped up over it and made light of the 24-year-old spurning the chance to put his side 1-0 up.
The Nigerian forward's agent Roberto Calenda released a statement in reaction to the video, deploring it as unacceptable. He stated (via Sky News):
"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."
Calenda added that they could take legal action against Napoli:
"We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor."
Osimhen arrived at Gli Azzurri's team hotel ahead of their clash with Udinese on Wednesday, September 27. However, the young striker didn't acknowledge his teammates Diego Demme and Piotr Zielinski. That former reached his hand out towards the Nigeria international but was ignored.
The former LOSC Lille frontman did shake hands with team manager Giuseppe Santoro. However, his decision to snub his teammates speaks volumes of the tense situation.
Osimhen shined at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium last season, bagging 31 goals and five assists in 39 games across competitions. He's started this campaign with three goals and one assist in six games.
Thus, fans are urging the Nigerian to leave Rudi Garcia's side following the club's controversial TikTok aimed at the striker. One fan reacted to the video posted by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano:
"He deserves a better team."
Another fan reckons the situation is untenable:
"Collateral damages."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to last season's Serie A top scorer snubbing his teammates:
Osimhen's friend calls out Napoli and claims the striker will leave the Serie A side
Osimhen's friend and Nigerian journalist Oma Akatugba has slammed Napoli for their TikTok mocking the center-forward's penalty miss. He doesn't think there is a racist message behind it but that it's ultimately unacceptable. He expects the striker to leave the club (via Football Talk):
“It's incredible that your team mocks you for missing a penalty. The intent is not racist but it's still unacceptable. The result is that he won't renew and will leave the club ASAP.”
Gli Azzurri's frontman has removed all posts on his Instagram related to the club. However, Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol claims that he's still waiting for an apology from the Serie A outfit.
Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille in 2020 from Ligue 1 side Lille for €75 million. He has scored 62 goals and provided 15 assists in 107 games since his arrival. The forward has two years left on his contract with Garcia's side.