Aurelio de Laurentiis, owner and President of Italian club Napoli, says they will avoid signing any more African players unless they agree not to play in the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Enough of African players, or they should give up playing in the African Cup of Nations. I won’t be buying them any more for this reason,” the President said.
“We pay salaries to send them around to play elsewhere in the middle of the league championship,” the 73-year-old regreted.
Cameroon’s Zambo Anguissa was one of the Napoli players who missed some of the club’s games while representing his country at the 2021 AFCON.
The timing of the Nations Cup – traditionally played in January and February – has led to repeated disputes with European clubs who are forced to release players in the middle of the season.