Napoli insist they ‘never wanted to mock’ Victor Osimhen in offensive TikTok video as they release statement… but do NOT apologise to the unhappy striker

Napoli have issued a formal statement on their controversial TikTok release, which appeared to mock striker Victor Osimhen, but stopped short of issuing an apology to the forward.

The Serie A side’s social media accounts sparked controversy last week when they posted videos on their Tik Tok account mocking Osimhen, leading to his agent threatening to take legal action.

The first video posted showed the attacker appealing for a penalty, with sped-up audio with the caption “Give me a penalty please” before showing him firing the penalty wide of the post.

A second video, purportedly from the club’s account, which circulated online and has since been deleted, compared Osimhen to a “coconut,” which is widely seen as a racial slur.

This led to Osimhen’s agent suggesting that the player could take legal action against the Serie A side, which led to Napoli making a formal statement as it started: ‘Calcio Napoli, wishing to avoid any exploitation of the matter , points out that we never wanted to insult or mock Victor Osimhen, a treasure of this club.’

Osimhen’s agent suggested that the player could take legal action against the Serie A side

There appears to be tension between Osimhen and Napoli boss Rudi Garcia, with the striker swearing at his new manager after being substituted

They continued to reveal that the club had rejected several transfer offers for the forward during the summer window.

‘As proof of this, Club resolutely rejected any offer for a transfer abroad for the striker during the summer training.’

However, the statement refused to apologize to the attacker, instead revealing the thoughts behind the media team’s use of TikTok.

“Social media, especially TikTok, has always used an expressive form of language with lightheartedness and creativity, without, as in the case of Osimhen as the main character, intending to offend or mock.

“In any case, if Victor perceived any insult towards him, this was not the intention of the club.”

It remains to be seen how Osimhen and his agent will respond to the latest statement, with an apology not available at this time.

There appear to be tensions between Osimhen and Napoli boss Rudi Garcia, with the striker slamming his new manager after being substituted in recent weeks.

However, it was confirmed that the forward had apologized to his teammates and Garcia for his reaction to his departure against Bologna.

He will undoubtedly attract a lot of interest from Europe, but also from Saudi Arabia, as one of the brightest attackers in world football.

The forward was previously linked with a move to Chelsea, who could add firepower to their attack in the January transfer window, and was recently linked with a move for Ivan Toney.