After several days the African Confederation footballer responds harshly to the words of the Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who had said he would no longer buy African players unless they renounced their call-ups for the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Caf is shocked by the irresponsible and unacceptable statements of Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis regarding African players and the African Cup of Nations. By publicly declaring that players who sign for Napoli must sign a waiver of participation in the African Cup of Nations as a condition of employment, De Laurentiis’ comments could fall under Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations. Caf therefore urges UEFA to launch a disciplinary investigation against him”, reads the note.
The Caf "is committed to the role that football plays in Africa, Europe, North and South America, Asia and the world in bringing together and uniting people of different cultures, language groups, races, ethnic groups and religious backgrounds. We have no doubt that Napoli and Uefa are as committed as Caf to these global humanitarian objectives. We must assume that the president of Napoli - continues the note - Will it include similar restrictive conditions for players from South America, Asia and other Confederations by banning them from playing in their continental competitions which are important for the development and growth of football globally?”.
“The Africa Cup of Nations is the flagship competition of the African continent and one of the main football competitions in the world. Its last edition in Cameroon was broadcast in more than 160 countries and attracted more than 600 million viewers”, concludes the Caf in the note.
Article published on 7 August 2022 - 20:07
