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Tag: Osimhen

  • TikTok video row: Amuneke counsels Osimhen on Napoli future

    TikTok video row: Amuneke counsels Osimhen on Napoli future

    Former African Footballer of the Year, Emmanuel Amuneke, feels his protégé, Victor Osimhen, must keep his emotions in check and face his football career  squarely even in the face  of  provocation following insulting video that Napoli released on TikTok.;

    While one video reportedly cantered on his penalty miss during Sunday’s goalless draw against Bologna, another video  from the club’s account, which has been circulated online and since deleted, compared Osimhen to a ‘coconut’ – widely viewed as a racial slur.

    Never known to suffer fools gladly, Osimhen has since pulled down the majority of photos of him wearing a Napoli shirt from his Instagram, with a single post remaining.

    But Amuneke, who gave  Osimhen his breakthrough  with the FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning Golden Eaglets of 2015, said such faux pas as indiscreetly done by Napoli is not uncommon in football, adding that the Nigeria international striker  must be tactful in handling the messy situation.

    Read Also: Saka joins Arsenal’s growing injury list

     “I’s unfortunate, but some  things like this happen in football,” Amuneke, who endured some torrid period towards the end of his contract at Barcelona, told NationSport. “No matter what, that (Tik Tok video) shouldn’t bother him.”

    Yet words are rife that the incident has caused serious doubt over the relationship between last season’s top scorer in Serie A and the reigning Italian champions, just as Osimhen’s agent, Roberto Calenda, has threatened to take legal action against the Partenopei  over the vexed TikTok video.

    “Let him (Osimhen) remain calm and focused, and he should not allow his emotions to control him,” Amuneke further counselled .

    Last season, Osimhen fired Napoli to a first league title in over 30 years and has scored  an impressive 62 goals in 107 appearances for the Serie A side. He was subject  of interest from a host of big European clubs, as well as a  mind-blowing $154 million offer from Saudi Premier League side, Al Hilal.

    Whether this recent insulting video will break the marriage between Osimhen and the Partenopei remains to be seen.

  • Osimhen: Ungrateful people behave like Napoli – Comedian Ushbebe

    Osimhen: Ungrateful people behave like Napoli – Comedian Ushbebe

    Comedian Ushbebe has argued ungrateful people and Italian professional football club, Napoli share the same characteristics.

    He made the statement following the surfacing of a now-deleted TikTok video on the Serie A club’s social media profile on Tuesday where it mocked one of its star players, Victor Osimhen.

    The video centred on an incident in the club’s scoreless draw against Bologna on Sunday, in which Osimhen spurned the opportunity to win the game from the penalty spot.

    That proved to be the game’s defining moment and was a rare miss from the Nigerian – who had bagged three goals in his first five matches this season.

    Yet Napoli’s peculiar video focused on Osimhen appealing for the penalty, using a strange and rather unsettling sped-up voice which appeared to have no context, other than to mock the striker for his attempts to persuade the decision to be given.

    Despite having helped Napoli secure a first league title, the club’s first in three decades, by scoring 31 goals across all competitions, the 24-year-old Nigerian professional football star was mocked by his club.

    Reacting to incident, Ushebe appealed to Osimhen not to be upset, stating his club’s action was born out of ingratitude which he noted was a common among human beings, especially the whites.

    He illustrated the Neapolitans action with ‘normal’ human beings that would praise you when the going is smooth but swiftly turn around to bash you when it gets a little tough.

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    He said: “So what is happening to Victor Osimhen is just a simple case of human being….you understand? These white people do it a lot. When they see that you’re talented, they won’t mind; they’ll hail you nonstop. But when it feels like you’re no more giving them the same vibe you were giving initially, just like Osimhen’s case now; they’ll start making you look like shit.

    “It doesn’t make sense. Normal human beings do it. When you do good to people, support them to an extent but when the support is coming as before, they either run you down or cut you off or make it look like pipeline isn’t releasing oil anymore so, we’ll need to bail out.

    “Or they don’t appreciate the little you because you don’t have as much energy as you used to.

    “After everything Victor Osimhen did for Napoli…Napoli in over 30 to 33 years that could not….after everything he did, because he missed penalty, didn’t score one or two goals after two matches; they made him look less.

    “The same way person that helps, support you in one way or the way, when he or she can no longer do those things, you look at the person and say they have run down. There’s nothing here anymore.

    The 41-year-old event compere and MC wrapped up his speech only after cursing at people who display such trait.

    He added: “Human beings! In fact your father! If you’re one of such people, your father! Ingrates!!”

    Usbebe’s post caption read: “Ungrateful people behave like Napoli… Never forget the good deed offered you before E RED….@victorosimhen9 no vex.”

  • Napoli President under probe over Osimhen deal

    Napoli President under probe over Osimhen deal

    Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis is under investigation for false accounting in the deal to sign Victor Osimhen in 2020.

    La Repubblica and other Italian media, including Sky Sport Italia, reported that the Rome Prosecutor has put De Laurentiis under investigation for alleged false accounting.

    The investigation concerns Napoli’s deal to sign Osimhen from Ligue 1 side Lille in 2020.

    Read Also: Bologna 0-0 Napoli: Osimhen settles rift with Garcia after outburst

    The Nigerian forward moved to the Stadio Maradona for €71.2m but €20.1m of that was made up of four players sent in exchange. The suspicion is that players’ wages were overvalued in order to inflate capital gains.

    Italy’s Financial Police, Guardia Di Finanza, gathered documents concerning the deal between April and June 2023 on behalf of the Naples Public Prosecutor’s Office with searches in Castel Volturno, Rome and France.

    As explained by La Repubblica, the investigation of De Laurentiis is a legal obligation after the Naples Prosecutor’s Office sent the documents to Rome, where De Laurentiis’ FilmAuro is based.

    Napoli have been cleared of allegations in a sporting trial concerning inflated capital gains in April 2022.

  • Osimhen threatens to sue Napoli over ‘unacceptable’ mocking video

    Osimhen threatens to sue Napoli over ‘unacceptable’ mocking video

    Victor Osimhen will ‘reserve the right to take legal action’ against his own club Napoli mocked the striker on their official TikTok account.

    Osimhen helped fire Napoli to a first league title in over 30 years last time out with a standout campaign in which he netted 31 goals across all competitions. 

    However, he was the target of a bizarre video posted from the club’s own social media profile on Tuesday.

    The video centred on an incident in the club’s scoreless draw against Bologna on Sunday, in which Osimhen spurned the opportunity to win the game from the penalty spot.

     That proved to be the game’s defining moment and was a rare miss from the Nigerian – who had bagged three goals in his first five matches this season.

    Yet Napoli’s peculiar video focused on Osimhen appealing for the penalty, using a strange and rather unsettling sped-up voice – which appeared to have no context, other than to mock the striker for his attempts to persuade the decision to be given.

    The video continued to show the striker blasting his effort off target and then abruptly ending. The club are yet to acknowledge the video, which was subsequently deleted but agent Roberto Calenda has suggested that Osimhen is considering legal action against his club – an extremely unusual circumstance.

    Read Also: Bologna 0-0 Napoli: Osimhen settles rift with Garcia after outburst

    Calenda said on Tuesday evening : “What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.”

    The FIFA agent added: “A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news. We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.”

    The bizarre episode comes amid the backdrop of Osimhen – who was wanted by Manchester United, among other clubs this summer – not signing a new contract with the Neapolitans, with whom his current deal runs through to the summer of 2025.

  • Bologna 0-0 Napoli: Osimhen settles rift with Garcia after outburst

    Bologna 0-0 Napoli: Osimhen settles rift with Garcia after outburst

    Victor Osimhen and Napoli are ready to move on as the Nigerian reportedly apologised to coach Rudi Garcia following a spat on the touchlines during the team’s 0-0 draw away at Bologna on Sunday.

    It had been a frustrating evening for Osimhen, who missed the chance to put Napoli ahead from the penalty spot, before being subbed off by Garcia and replaced by Giovanni Simeone with minutes left on the clock and Napoli still in search of the winning goal.

    A visibly frustrated Osimhen directed his anger towards Garcia as he made his way to the touchline, making gestures that indicated he thought having two strikers on the pitch would have been beneficial to Napoli in the closing stages of the game.

    Read Also: Adesanya faces up to three months in jail for drunk-driving

    Despite his frustration, Osimhen knows that the coach’s decision is final and must be respected. Realising that, Napoli’s leading goalscorer apologised in the changing rooms of the Dall’Ara immediately after the full-time whistle according to reports from Calciomercato.com.

    Training yesterday’s  morning also provided an opportunity for Osimhen and Garcia to evaluate the scenes on Sunday, though it is reported that there were no further arguments of complications to the situation.

    All being well, the player and the coach are ready to move on and are now preparing for the visit of Udinese on Wednesday, where Napoli will hope to avoid going four consecutive matches in Serie A without a win.

  • Napoli coach praises Osimhen over Braga win

    Napoli coach Rudi Garcia has praised Victor Osimhen for his overall play in a UEFA Champions League win at Portuguese club Sporting Braga, which earned him the Man of the Match.

    Osimhen was not on the scoreboard in a 2-1 win by Napoli Wednesday night, but his other contributions in the game were hailed by his coach.

    Read Also: Five Nigerian strikers setting Europe ablaze

    The Super Eagles striker set up Napoli skipper Giovanni Di Lorenzo to fire the opening goal of the match.

     “Victor Osimhen fought hard and ran,” saluted Garcia. “It’s what I expect from all my players, that when it comes time to defend, they all help out.”

    Last season, Napoli reached the quarterfinal of the Champions League for the first time in their history with Osimhen netting five goals.

  • Peseiro predicts Ballon d’Or win for Osimhen

    Peseiro predicts Ballon d’Or win for Osimhen

    • ‘ Nigerian ace nearly switch to Saudi’

    Coach Jose Peseiro said Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is creditably fit to be crowned with the Ballon d’Or award .

    The 24-year-old Napoli forward is on an impressive list of 12 players shortlisted for this year’s Ballon d’Or award in a cast including Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Rodri, Julian Alvarez, Marcelo Brozovic, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Declan Rice and Bernardo Silva.

    Last season, Osimhen’s goals ensured Napoli won the Italian title for the first time since the 1990 season during the Diego Maradona’s days scoring an impressive 26 goals in 32 matches as he broke records in tow , significantly being the first African to be crowned the Serie A top scorer. He also emerged top scorer in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) qualifying tournament with an impressive 10 goals as Nigeria booked ticket to the continental showpiece to be hosted by Cote d’Ivoire in January.

    “He(Osimhen) can surely win the Ballon d’Or in the future,” Pereiro reportedly told Il Mattino .“ He’s not lacking anything to do it. He has different characteristics than other players that are at the top at this moment, but he scores a lot as well.”

    The Portuguese coach was even pleased with his ward’s commanding performance during the Super Eagles’ last 2023 AFCON qualifier in Uyo where he scored a hat-trick against Sao Tome & Principe.

    “I was afraid he would be down in the dumps, but instead he was devastating,” he noted. “ He closed the AFCON qualifiers with ten goals and was the top scorer. He was the same smiley and happy Victor as always. It’s an advantage for everybody.”

    Read ALso: UCL: Napoli count on Osimhen for goals against Braga

    Peseiro , meanwhile, has praised Osimhen for staying put at Napoli despite tempting offers from Saudi Pro league side Al Hilal in the summer, adding happiness in football is not only about money.

    “He mulled a departure, but then he elected to keep doing his best to help Napoli,” noted the former Venezuela trainer. “ I’m happy to see him compete for major goals in Europe.”

    “Osimhen is very happy in Naples. Staying in Europe and showcasing his skills in the Champions League is the best pathway for his growth. He’s young and has time to prove his talent.

    “ I understand that some proposals can make you wobble. Two seasons in Saudi Arabia are worth as much as ten in Europe. But money isn’t everything. He improved a lot in Italy,” Peseiro closed.

  • UCL: Napoli count on Osimhen for goals against Braga

    UCL: Napoli count on Osimhen for goals against Braga

    • Technical issues delayed team’s departure

    After posting a strong start  with an impressive three goals in the new Serie A season, coach Rudi Garcia will yet be counting on Victor Osimhen for goals in their UEFA Champions League tie against Sporting Braga today.

    Yesterday, technical issues in Napoli‘s plane  reportedly delayed the Partenopei’s trip to Braga.

    According to Sky Sport Italia, Napoli  were forced to delay their trip to Portugal due to problems with the plane  as players and staff members  waited  for almost two hours  at Naples’ Capodichino Airport before take-off.

    Napoli had their best performance in years last season thanks largely to Osimhen as they claimed the Italian title for the first time since the Diego Maradona era in the 1990.

    The Partenopei are   also in the group stage of the Champions League for a second year in a row, progressing to the quarter-finals last season.

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    Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis had long enthused that Napoli would have a decent run in Europe with Osimhen hence he refrained from selling the 24-year-old Nigeria international striker despite some interesting offers during the summer transfer window.

    “Garcia’s team, who have picked up just one point from their last two league games, will seemingly once again be looking to Victor Osimhen for goals this season, and the 24-year-old has already netted three times during a strong start to the campaign,” noted analysts at sports mole.co.uk.

    They added :“The Italian champions will host Real Madrid in their next game in the section ahead of a trip to Union Berlin, and it will be fascinating to see how Group C unfolds, as Real Madrid and Napoli are the favourites, but both Union Berlin and Braga are capable of causing a surprise.”

    It remains to be seen whether  there scoring prediction for Osimhen or possible Braga upset of Napoli would come to pass today at Estadio Municipal de Braga.

  • Osimhen to rival Messi, Haaland for FIFA Best Men’s Award

    Osimhen to rival Messi, Haaland for FIFA Best Men’s Award

    Victor Osimhen is in the hunt for the FIFA’s Best Men’s Player of the Year award after world’s soccer ruling body FIFA yesterday named the Super Eagles forward along other contenders including Lionel Messi and Man City’s striker Erling Haaland.

    The 24-year-old is the only African in the 12-man shortlist for the award alongside his Napoli’s teammate, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

    Osimhen had a campaign to remember as his goals partly led Napoli to the Scudetto as well as the Italian Capocannoniere (top scorer) with 26 league goals as he became the first African Serie A top scorer.

    Aside his performance at club level, the former Lille striker was on fire for the Super Eagles despite not making it to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He scored 10 goals for Nigeria as they sealed their ticket to the 2024 AFCON in style, including a hat-trick against Sao Tome and Principe last time out.

    Meanwhile, Haaland is joined in the running by six of his Manchester City treble-winning team-mates – including Ederson in the goalkeepers’ category – and their manager Pep Guardiola is up for the men’s coach prize. Current Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is also in the running for that award after winning a treble with Celtic.

    Read Also: Osimhen’s ex-mate, Abdallah bags varsity degree

    Ederson’s rivals for the goalkeeper prize include Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Andre Onana, who won the Italian Cup and reached the Champions League final with Inter Milan before joining Manchester United.

    The qualifying period for the men’s awards runs from December 19, 2022 – the day after current award-holder Messi helped Argentina to World Cup glory – to August 2023.

    The FIFA Best Men’s Best shortlist comes after Osimhen was nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or as the Nigeria international striker strives to win football top accolades.

    The Best FIFA Men’s Player award nominees

    *Julian Alvarez (Argentina, Manchester City)

    *Marcelo Brozovic (Croatia, Al-Nassr)

    *Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium, Manchester City)

    *Ilkay Gundogan (Germany, Barcelona)

    *Erling Haaland (Norway, Manchester City)

    *Rodri (Spain, Manchester City)

    *Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia, Napoli)

    *Kylian Mbappe (France, PSG)

    *Lionel Messi (Argentina, Inter Miami)

    *Victor Osimhen (Nigeria, Napoli)

    *Declan Rice (England, Arsenal)

    *Bernardo Silva (Portugal, Manchester City)

  • Osimhen’s ex-mate, Abdallah bags varsity degree

    Osimhen’s ex-mate, Abdallah bags varsity degree

    • targets Super Eagles shirt

    Former Golden Eaglets goalkeeper Suleiman Abdallah has bagged a university degree in Media Studies from the Faculty of Communication of the Bayero University in Kano.

    Abdallah, from Kano State that has also produced famous coaching family of Katsina United’s Usman Abdallah and Hassan Abdallah who assisted Samson Siasia to the 2016 Olympics, trained under coach Emmanuel Amuneke and was part of the Golden Eaglets to the 2015 Suwon Four-Nation U17 Invitational tournament in Suwon, South Korea along with the likes of Osimhen, goalkeeper Akpan Udoh, Zakari Halilu and co.

    “By the grace of Almighty Allah, I’ve finished from the Bayero University Kano where I studied Information and Media studies and I graduated with Second Class Honour,” Abdallah told NationSport.

    “I started this journey in 2017 and we were supposed to finish in 2021 but could not due to Covid-19 as well as ASUU strike.

    “But here we are and to the glory of God, I’ve graduated this year,” added the goalkeeper with Kano-based side Ahzuba FC in the Nationwide League One.

    Abdallah, who had a storied performance with the BUK football team in the annual HiFL Cup during his undergraduate years, said:

    Rea Also: Osimhen deserves football top awards, says Awoniyi

    “Football is where I have passion but obtaining this degree is something that my parents, especially my father, wanted and that is the reason why I paused my football career so that I can make my parents happy.

    “Though it was not easy for me, with the help of Almighty Allah, now I am a graduate,

    “I graduated as the football team captain at BUK where I played in the HiFL Cup from its inception in 2018 to 2022 as a goalkeeper.

    “In fact, I was awarded the Man of the Match in five different matches across those years while competing in the HiFL Cup.”

    Going further, Abdallah remains confident about the prospect of still turning full professional in the future, adding that his major desire is to man the post with the Super Eagles.

    “My ambition now is to continue building my football career up to the highest level,” Abdallah, a fond admirer of former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, further said. “I have all what it takes to be a great goalkeeper, and I have the faith that I will reach the highest level.

    “In the next couple of years, I will wear the Super Eagles jersey as Nigeria’s number one goalkeeper Insha Allah (by the grace of God).”

    He referenced Dodo Mayana as his goalkeeping idol: “Though I didn’t watch Peter Rufai play, I think he is the most famous goalkeeper in Nigeria. When I was young, I thought anybody that played as a goalkeeper was Peter Rufai.” Abdallah also idolises Dutch legend Edwin van der Sar, German and Bayern Munich great Manuel Neuer and Manchester United newly signed Cameroon’s goal tender Andre Onana.