Aurelio de Laurentiis | Photo: “Napoli”
The Italian football Serie A club “Napoli” has concluded new contracts with players from the African and South American continent only if they refuse to participate in the national teams, according to a statement issued on Tuesday.
“They will not play for us if they participate in the African Cup of Nations or the South American Championship,” Napoli club president Aurelio de Laurentiis said in a television interview on Tuesday evening. As you know, several Napoli players represent different national teams of the African continent.
Last season, Napoli was forced to release Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who has now joined Chelsea, Cameroonian midfielder Frank Zambo-Angis, as well as Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, who missed the African Championship held in January due to Covid-19, to the African Cup of Nations. because of.
“Don’t talk to me about Africans anymore,” the club’s president was also quoted on the home page of the business publication “Wall Street Italia”. “I wish them the best, but to play for us they have to leave Africa [Nāciju] cup and others [izlašu] matches. In addition, apart from African players, South American footballers are also not available to us during the qualification period.”
The Africa Cup of Nations (continental championship) takes place once every two years and mostly in January and February, when the European club season is in progress, as well as South American qualification matches for the World Cup take place during the European club season. During international matches, clubs are obliged to release players for the national team. It is planned that the next African Championship in Côte d’Ivoire in 2024 will take place in January, while the 2025 tournament in Ghana will be held in June and July, when European clubs have an off-season.
