The manager of the team vowed never to sign a player who had made a commitment to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Usman Abdallah, the assistant coach for Nigeria, criticized Aurelio De Laurentiis, the president of Napoli, for his recent remarks regarding Africa, calling them a “lack of respect.” This week, the club’s executive caused controversy by publicly pledging not to sign any players who would compete in the Africa Cup of Nations.
De Laurentiis referred to Napoli and other clubs in Europe as “idiots” for paying full salaries to players who dropped out of the regular season midway through to participate in the international competition.
Those remarks were made despite Nigerian-born Victor Osimhen being a star striker for Napoli.
What did De Laurentiis say on the acquisition of African players by Napoli?
The owner of the Serie A team stated to Wall Street Italia: “Don’t talk to me about Africans any longer, lads, I told them.
“I adore them, but between the Africa Cup of Nations and the South American World Cup qualifying matches, these players are never available unless they sign a document stating they won’t participate.
We are the suckers who pay their wages and then send them throughout the globe performing for other people.
What kind of response has Abdallah given to De Laurentiis’ remarks?
Due to a positive Covid-19 test, Osimhen was forced to miss the most recent AFCON between January and February. However, Senegal’s winning team included Kalidou Koulibaly, their former captain, who joined Chelsea this summer.
De Laurentiis’ comments startled Nigeria’s coach Abdallah, and he is disappointed by what he perceives to be an attempt to denigrate the Afcon by such a prominent figure in the European game.
Abdallah told GOAL, “I think he needs to come out, to be honest, citing the Africa Cup of Nations as a benchmark is not a good justification.
Are Napoli players missing out on the U.E.F. Euro, U.E.F. Nations League, or possibly the Copa America? Or are they distinct from Afcon?
“It would have made sense if he had claimed that Napoli’s African athletes who suffer injuries in the Afcon are not properly cared for, or perhaps that their athletes break the rules when they compete.
Even yet, his remarks demonstrate a lack of respect for Africa, and they are foolish. That a person of his caliber could say anything so demoralizing.
Because he only mentioned African players and left out players from other continents, some will interpret this as racism.
Mutiu Adepoju, a former captain of Nigeria, stated to GOAL: “Because African players have been crucial to Napoli’s history, they will be the biggest losers.
“Kalidou played a significant part for the team before transferring to Chelsea. From [Andre-Frank] Zambo Anguissa to Osimhen, the same is true.
“These athletes have demonstrated the excellence of African athletes.