Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has vowed to take legal action after being accused of assault in Turkey.
The Nigeria international has begun the process of filing a defamation lawsuit against Turkish journalist Tolga Bozduman, who accused him of assault following Galatasaray’s 3-3 draw with Dynamo Kyiv two weeks ago.
The 26-year-old Osimhen, who is on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, has been in impressive form this season with 16 goals and five assists in 21 appearances for the Turkish champions, but now faces scrutiny off the pitch amid growing controversy over the alleged incident.
Bozduman claimed that Osimhen became aggressive and punched him while he was attempting to take photos of the striker outside a venue.
He also alleged that Osimhen offered money to have footage of the altercation deleted, further fueling the controversy.
However, Osimhen has vehemently denied the allegations, labelling them as ‘false and malicious’.
“I want to clarify something. I went to eat with my friends so I was coming back to go into my van and these guys just popped out from nowhere with cameras in my face and I was shocked,” Osimhen explained to reporters in a video posted on social media.
“Obviously, you guys have seen the video on the internet, I was shocked. And I was asking them, what is the problem, why did you pop out with a camera in front of my face? And they said they are paparazzi. ‘Okay, what do you want?’ They didn’t say, they just put the camera on my face and there was a guy taking pictures.
“And then my friends went to meet them and said you cannot do that. You are professionals, you have to come if you want to ask for an interview. I never punched this guy, I never hit him or something like that.
“I went to him, I was in the midst of them and I told him, you have to take the picture down. You have to delete it; it is my picture; I have every right to tell you to take it down. And then of course, his agenda. I am not new to this type of thing. I knew they were gonna lie and lie and lie.
“And this is a case of violence and he came out to lie, of course it is not gonna be easy. I don’t need to shout but I will take the necessary steps to make sure… if I hit him, he is going to get justice, if he lies, then he is gonna see the wrath of the law.”
