Former Napoli sports director Mauro Meluso has pushed back against Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen’s racism claims, insisting the club had no intention of targeting the Nigerian with its now-infamous TikTok video, Footynaija reports.
The controversy dates to September 2023, when Napoli’s official TikTok account posted a video mocking Osimhen for missing a penalty against Bologna, dubbing a squeaky, sped-up voiceover footage of the striker appealing for a spot kick before his miss.
The post was condemned for what many believed were racist, and further scrutiny revealed an older video that referred to Osimhen’s head as a “coconut.”
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The striker, in reaction, deleted all Napoli-related content from his Instagram in protest, and his relationship with the club never recovered.
Osimhen recently broke his silence on the entire saga, describing how Napoli treated him “like a dog.” Meluso has now responded.
Meluso recalls how Napoli officials calmed a furious Osimhen
“Regarding the TikTok video case, I remember that Nicola Lombardo and I calmed Osimhen down, he was furious the day after the video was released. We were accused of racism, but there was absolutely no intention of targeting one of our own players, it was meant to be ironic,” Meluso said via Radio Napoli Centrale.
“Woe betide anyone who would use racist language. Napoli rejects all forms of racism. That TikTok video affected him deeply, also because a Nigerian government representative intervened with strong statements. It had a media and personal impact. For me, there was no intent to offend him, but someone instrumentalized the situation,” the former sporting director added.
Osimhen, who fired Napoli to their first Serie A title in 33 years in 2023 with 26 goals, left the club permanently in 2025 for 75 million euros, joining Galatasaray, where he has since scored 52 goals in 63 appearances across all competitions.
