Napoli have announced that they will appeal the two-game ban meted out to Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen, following his dismissal during the Partenopei’s 2-0 victory over Venezia on Sunday.
The forward was given the marching orders in the 22nd minute by referee Gianluca Aureliano for violent conduct against Daan Heymans after appearing to strike the opposition during a corner.
The was the first time ever that the former Wolfsburg and Lille man has been sent off in a league encounter during his professional career.
Notwithstanding the numerical disadvantage, Luciano Spalletti’s men stepped up their game to secure all points at stake thanks to goals from captain Lorenzo Insigne and Elif Elmas.
read also:Osimhen slammed 2-match ban after red card
Consequently, Osimhen will miss his club’s next two Italian elite division matches against Genoa and Juventus, on August 29 and September 11 respectively.
A statement released by Napoli on its official website read: “Victor Osimhen has been handed a two-match ban following his red card against Venezia.
“The striker was sanctioned “for voluntarily slapping an opponent in the face away from the ball”.
“The club will make an appeal. Luciano Spalletti was booked during the match.”
After the incident, manager Spalletti cautioned the 24-year-old striker to watch his responses in future matches.
“The expulsion of Osimhen? He has to be careful of his emotional reactions,” Spalletti said as quoted by Ilnapolista. “He is a strong attacker and all defenders will help each other. He will always have his hands on the defenders. He must be careful. The referee was corrected when I went to talk to him and he explained what he saw.
“Insigne confirmed that he was a true leader because he came out in a difficult moment. He had the misfortune to miss a penalty and showed up to take the second. He made the public participate and when the fans entered the field, the ball travelled more.
“In the second half, even when outnumbered, we figured out what to do and I liked it a lot.”
Osimhen was issued a red card for the time in his professional career during a Uefa Europa League clash against Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena on October 29, 2020.