Nigeria’s Sports Minister, John Owan Enoh, has disclosed that both the Nigerian and Italian governments are taking steps to address Napoli’s taunting of Victor Osimhen.
In his statement on Thursday, September 28, 2023, he emphasised that the ministry places a strong emphasis on the well-being of Nigerian athletes in general.
Consequently, they are determined to ensure that athletes are treated with the respect they deserve.
“We are committed to ensuring our sportsmen and women are accorded the respect they deserve and are not exposed to any injustice,” Mr Enoh said.
Meanwhile, Napoli, in their statement addressing the issue, failed to apologise to the player and instead clarified that the video was not intended to mock Osimhen.
“Calcio Napoli, wishing to avoid any exploitation of the issue, points out that we never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, who is a treasure of this club.
“As proof of that, during the summer training retreat, the club firmly rebuffed every offer that was received for the striker’s transfer abroad.
“Social media, in particular TikTok, has always used an expressive form of language with a light heart and creativity, without wanting to, as in the case with Osimhen as protagonist, have any intention of insult or derision.
“In any case, if Victor perceived any offence towards him, this was not what the club intended.”
Osimhen, despite not breaking his silence on the issue, has deleted all Napoli-related posts on his Instagram.
Amidst the mockery saga, he went on to score for Napoli in their 4-1 win over Udinese at home, taking his goal tally to four goals in six Serie A games.