NAPOLI benched Victor Osimhen against Lecce amid the controversial TikTok mocking of the striker.
But he came off the bench to score with the Serie A champions winning 4-0 away from home.
Osimhen was subject to mockery from his own club as Napoli’s social media team called him a “coconut” in a TikTok video – widely seen as a racial slur.
They taunted the Nigerian after he missed a penalty against Bologna – leading his agent to threaten legal action against the club.
Osimhen then refused to take a penalty against Udinese and did not celebrate after scoring in the clash.
Napoli boss Rudi Garcia decided to drop the forward against Lecce but insisted it was not because of the ongoing controversy.
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He told DAZN: “There has to be squad rotation, it is almost a third of the team that changed since the game with Udinese, so it’s natural to look to everyone, including those who come off the bench.
“The extra-sport issue is not important, I prefer to talk about what happens on the field and Osimhen has scored four goals in six games. The rest will take care of itself.”
Napoli responded to the threats of legal action by stating “no offence was intended” and the bizarre clips were meant to be “light-hearted”.
A statement read: “Calcio Napoli, wishing to avoid any exploitation of the issue, point out that we never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, who is a treasure of this club.
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“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.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
