Napoli boss Rudi Garcia reveals why he’s BENCHED Victor Osimhen for clash with Lecce… as he assures club’s TikTok scandal – where social media team mocked the striker – will ‘take care of itself’
- Rudi Garcia says Victor Osimhen is on the bench for Napoli due to rotation
- Garcia said the scandal over Napoli’s TikTok posts will take care of itself
Napoli manager Rudi Garcia has revealed that Victor Osimhen is on the bench against Lecce due to squad rotation.
There is uncertainty over Osimhen’s future at Napoli after the striker was mocked by his club’s TikTok account.
However, Garcia insisted that Osimhen was left out against Lecce in order to keep players physically sharp.
Garcia told DAZN: ‘The lads know they must be fully concentrated on this match, because it is already a few days after the last game and it is played under the sun and heat. This is no friendly, Lecce have had a great start to the season and we must be at 100 per cent physically and mentally to get a result.
‘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.’
Rudi Garcia says that Victor Osimhen is on the bench for Napoli v Lecce due to rotation
Garcia said the scandal regarding Napoli’s TikTok posts about Osimhen will take care of itself
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Garcia wasn’t willing to discuss the issue regarding the club’s TikTok videos about Osimhen, insisting that the matter will care of itself.
‘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.’
Osimhen’s agent threatened legal action after Napoli posted videos regarding the striker on their TikTok account.
The first video posted showed the 24-year-old appealing for a penalty during a 0-0 draw against Bologna, with sped-up audio captioned ‘Gimme penalty please’ before showing him blazing the spot-kick wide of the post.
A second 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.
This led to Osimhen’s agent suggesting that the player could take legal action. In a statement on Thursday, Napoli broke their silence as they said: ‘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.’
Bizarrely the club also mentioned how they had rejected several transfer offers for the forward during the summer window.
‘As proof of that, during the summer training retreat, the Club firmly rebuffed every offer that was received for the striker’s transfer abroad.
Osimhen’s agent threatened legal action following videos on Napoli’s TikTok account
‘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 scored in Napoli’s 4-1 win against Udinese in midweek and was substituted in the 63rd minute.
The striker shook hands with Garcia as he left the pitch. According to reports from Italy, this interaction between the manager and his star striker represents an armistice which could last until a potential departure in January.
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