Nigeria's government gets involved in Victor Osimhen feud with Napoli
Napoli posted a video of Victor Osimhen on TikTok
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The Nigerian government has released a statement in support of Napoli forward Victor Osimhen. The nation's sports minister, Senator John Owah Enoh, released a statement Friday evening responding to the viral video earlier this week.
"Over the last weekend, the developments arriving from Naples regarding striker Victor Osimhen made me very sad. My office is working hard to reach Osimhen firsthand and understand what the problems are, to establish the facts clearly," the minister said in a statement to The Nation.
Enoh added, "We are using diplomatic channels to explore the issue with Italy. Under this administration, we are committed to ensuring that our athletes are afforded the respect they deserve and that they are not exposed to injustice, discrimination, and unfair teasing that could be detrimental to their careers."
On Wednesday, Napoli posted a video of Victor Osimhen on their TikTok handle. The video was deleted poking fun at the striker for missing a penalty against Bologna in the Serie A. This video has been deleted and caught the attention of the media. The incident has created a rift between Osimhen and Napoli.
Victor Osimhen's agent threatened legal action against the club.
Napoli have apologised, claiming that they 'never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, who is a treasure of this club.'
Napoli manager Rudi Garcia has seen a breakdown with the Nigerian forward but has still included him in Sunday's matchday squad as he did midweek.
Osimhen is expected to start again as the reigning Serie A champions take on Lecce before hosting Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old has refused to comment publicly on the situation but was reportedly unhappy with the club before the insulting TikTok videos aired.