The Italian president of Napoli, Aurelio De Laurentiis, assures that from now on he will only choose African players who agree not to take part in the African Cup of Nations. The CAN is a complicated subject for coaches to deal with, often considered penalizing for clubs because it takes place in winter, in the middle of the season, and forces coaches to compose without certain important elements of their.
Poru no longer having to find himself in such a scenario, Aurelio De Laurentiis has decided, even if it means controversy. “Don’t talk to me about African footballers anymore. I will not take any more as long as the African Cup of Nations is organized in the middle of the season. Unless they give up arguing about it,” the Italian leader said in a recent interview with the business media. Wall Street Italia.
During the last edition of the CAN won by Senegal, Napoli had to deprive themselves of their former central defender, Kalidou Koulibaly and their midfielder Zambo Anguissa for several matches.
A weighty dilemma for Napoli internationals
Napoli currently has several players in its workforce likely to participate in the next CAN, scheduled for January 2024 in Côte d’Ivoire. Among these players: the former Lille Victor Osimhen (Nigeria), former OM midfielder André-Franck Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon) and Adam Ounas (Algeria). Players who, if we are to believe the words of De Laurentiis, currently have a knife to their throats for the upcoming CAN.