2 yıl önce

Napoli boss wants African players to skip competitions with national side

Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly — now with Chelsea — and Cameroon midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa missed several Napoli games while on international duty at this year's AFCON.

Reuters

The Italian film producer added he was tired of offers from investment funds for the club, adding that he was offered 900 million euros around four to five years ago by American investors.

Napoli will only sign new African or South American players if they agree to skip competitions with their national teams, the Serie A club's president Aurelio de Laurentiis has said.

"I'm not going to have them in the African Cup of Nations or the South American championships," de Laurentiis said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday night.

Several key Napoli players are African internationals.

Last season they lost Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who has since left for Chelsea, and Cameroonian midfielder Frank Zambo-Anguissa to the African Cup of Nations in January and February.

Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen missed the competition after testing positive for Covid.

"Don't talk to me about Africans anymore," de Laurentiis told business website Wall Street Italia. "I wish them well, but either they sign a waiver for the African Cup or else..."

"Between that tournament and the World Cup qualifiers in South America, these players are never available!" "We are the idiots who pay the salaries to send them to play for others."

Koulibaly reacts

Chelsea defender Koulibaly said Laurentiis should respect African teams as much as other national sides in the wake of his comments about the Africa Cup of Nations.

"For me, the most important thing is to respect everybody," Koulibaly told reporters on Wednesday. "You cannot speak about an African national team like this. You have to have respect as you have for the other national teams."

"I think not everyone in the club has the same idea as him. I know everybody over there, I know the supporters, and the supporters don't think like this."

The African Cup of Nations is held every two years in January and February, with the next postponed edition taking place in January 2024 in the Ivory Coast, during the European season.

The Copa America is also played every two years with its finals in June and July but World Cup qualifying is held during the European season.

While the 10-team Copa does not have a qualifying tournament, the African Cup of Nations does, increasing the number of games for players.

Clubs are obliged to allow their internationals to join their national teams during official international breaks.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies