FG engages Italian gov’t over Osimhen, Napoli controversy
The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced its intention to engage with the government of Italy, Napoli, and Victor Osimhen regarding the issues he is facing with his club.
In a personally signed statement, Senator John Owan Enoh, the Minister of Sports Development, expressed his concern over the recent developments involving Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen, at Napoli.
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The Minister stated, “The events that unfolded at Napoli over the past weekend have deeply saddened me. Furthermore, my office is striving to directly communicate with Victor Osimhen to gain a firsthand understanding of the issues. We are committed to establishing the facts surrounding this matter.”
The Minister added that he is also in contact with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and the Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Italy, Ambassador Mfawa Abam. Together, they are exploring diplomatic channels with Italy to address the situation in a more respectful manner.
It should be noted that Napoli had posted a video on social media, making fun of Osimhen’s missed penalty during their match against Bologna. The video, which has since been deleted, sparked outrage among fans. Osimhen’s agent even threatened legal action against Napoli for the incident.
In response, Napoli issued a statement on Thursday, stopping short of apologising but clarifying their intentions. They emphasized that they never intended to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, as they value him as an asset to the club.
Napoli explained that their social media and TikTok platforms often employ light-hearted and playful language, which was the context in which the video was shared.
Although Napoli expressed that their intentions were not to cause offense, they acknowledged that if Osimhen was in any way hurt by the video, it was unintentional.