https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/africa/62408379
Dunno bout this. I understand where he's coming from but this doesn't feel right
Napoli president rules out signing Africans committed to Nations Cup
- Thread starter SalfordRed18
- Start date
Dunno bout this. I understand where he's coming from but this doesn't feel right
Thinly veiled "I refuse to sign Africans because I'm a racist"
Entirely reasonable. You pay players to play for your team - you don't want them disappearing for a month every two years (or 4 don't remember).
Not at all. He’s choosing not sign players who won’t be available for 2 months of a season.
I guess it's his loss really, he's just excluded himself from signing some top class talent.
I understand it (Remember all the fuss around Salah, Mame and Keita missing January and handing the title to City) but think it's short sighted.
Where would Liverpool be right now if that was their view.
I understand it (Remember all the fuss around Salah, Mame and Keita missing January and handing the title to City) but think it's short sighted.
Where would Liverpool be right now if that was their view.
Silly to suggest that not wanting to sign someone because they cannot fulfil the same contractual obligations as other players is racist. I would suggest building an availability clause into the contract but the sensitive types would find something racist in that as well.
Or, maybe he doesn't want to lose important players for large portions of the seasons, at an important time of the season, every bloody year.
It's not that Napoli has the same weapons has other top teams. Pretty sure loosing their two best players last season during the CAN probably did some damage to their season performance.
That's the beauty of a free world, he can make his decision, it may make his team stronger in any given january, and it may make his team weaker in the long run because certain players won't sign for him. But he will have to live with the consequences of his decision, whether it turns out to be a good one or a bad one.
These big statements are always dumb. For the right price, he’ll have Mane over Charlie Adam even if Charlie Adam can play a few more games over a 4 year period.
Why does everything have to do with race? Maybe he meant what he said and he would rather not sign a player simply due to the fact they will be missing longer than other players? No need to draw anything else into it
So what do they do, not sign those players? Even though, they are their best players?
Seems odd you wouldn't sign a player that's the best available option to you, because he might not be available for upto what, 6 games every 2/4 years?
Osimhen wasn't at the afcon he was just recovering from his broken eye socket then.....its really Napoli's loss, other clubs will snap up this players its not like Napoli is the dream destination for any African footballer.
Why come out and say this? If you don’t choose to sign African players then just don’t.
Kind of understandable from an employer's perspective, inexcusable from a humane perspective. Come the feck on, you don't want to sign players from a certain continent unless they refuse to represent their countries? Yikes
The irony is napoli's 2 best players are from nigeria and cameroon and their best player of the last decade or so - one of the most beloved players in the club's history - is senegalese. I guess he does blame the afcon for not winning the league last season...
The irony is napoli's 2 best players are from nigeria and cameroon and their best player of the last decade or so - one of the most beloved players in the club's history - is senegalese. I guess he does blame the afcon for not winning the league last season...
I’m sure the whole of Africa and it’s footballers are now devastated that African footballers can no longer play for the great club of Napoli.
Imagine if Italian players were pressured into not representing their nation.
That famous race we all know, "African."
Not really reasonable, you're excluding yourself from buying some of the best talent in the world for the sake of a few games.
Using the word 'African' in a derogatory manner isn't a bit racist?
Nel futuro Opti Poba non le mangera le banana di Napoli?
This reminds me a little of hiring managers avoiding hiring women because they might get pregnant and go off on maternity leave. Feels very discriminatory.
It is, but if its just a Napoli thing then no one cares, he should put up Osimhen for sale at a reasonable price though.
As if anyone outside of Naples gives a feck about Napoli. In the long term this will hurt only them as these players with go to other clubs without such a stupid policy. No one is crying because they don’t get their dream move to Napoli now.
Stupid thing to say, but it really is mental that it's held every two years. They surely need to switch it to 4 years, especially with African players having an ever increasing presence in big leagues across Europe.
I would say more Xenophobic.
Work with a few none black Africans, I’d say they’d be upset you don’t class them as Africans. Does that make you racist as well?
de Laurentiis is fine signing players who sign a waiver not to play in the Afcon by the way.
Who said anything about being black or white?
That and really just move the tournament to the European off season/mid year
Bang on the money.
I agree completely. Especially since this tournament is held every 2 years. It is ridiculous that clubs who pay the big bills and depend on these players have to put up with losing these players in the middle of the season every two years.
This guy is quite a lunatic, but in this case he's completely within his rights.
Hiring people requires discrimination, that's literally what you are doing when selecting personnel. Discrimination need not entail prejudice.
Other clubs accept this if the player is good enough so yeah, it's kinda messed up even if his intentions are entirely pure.
Isn't that different for every league, though?
I don't think he has a problem with the players representing their nations. I think he has a problem with said representation taking the players away from their club for crucial periods every two years.
This is more of a statement to try and get AFCON to fall into line and play a summer tourney rather than anything else.
Across the continent here? I believe so & hence there’ll always be a “loser” in however it’s arranged.
África should just have their tournaments in summer like everyone else.
Don't they do it in the winter because it would be too warm if not or is that somewhere else?