Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis declared he will never again sign an African player ‘unless they sign an agreement backing out of the Africa Cup of Nations’ and claims he rejected a $900m offer to sell the club.

This will not come as good news for players like Victor Osimhen and Andre Zambo Anguissa, who represent Nigeria and Cameroon respectively, while Kalidou Koulibaly won the AFCON tournament with Senegal before leaving for Chelsea.

“I told them lads, don’t talk to me about Africans anymore!” said De Laurentiis during a streamed event.

“I love them, but either they sign something confirming they’ll back out of playing the Africa Cup of Nations, or otherwise between that tournament, the World Cup qualifiers in South America, these players are never available!

“We are the idiots who pay salaries only to send them all over the world playing for others.”

De Laurentiis also revealed he had received an offer in 2017-18 from American investors ready to pay $900m to buy Napoli, but he turned it down.

“In recent years these investment funds have become fashionable, they have to guarantee their investors a certain revenue within five years.

“They saw that football is a great opportunity and they can double their investment by selling clubs to investment funds in future. That’s what Milan and Inter have done, right?

“I am assailed by funds, I can’t take it anymore. In 2017-18, an American fund offered me $900m to sell Napoli. But they don’t realise I am this pure entrepreneur who enjoys playing the game, so let me keep playing.”

23 thought on “ADL: ‘Napoli won’t buy African players unless…’”
  1. He’s such a moron – AFCON is once every 2 years and they play for like 3/4 weeks? Not a big deal

  2. this is how they all start. but you can buy south American player that also do the same

  3. I guess it won’t be long before Osimhen or any ambitious player leave the club UNLESS… Napoli gets an owner who actually wants to win big trophies. His comments is the definition of double standards and so stupid of him to think that anything good will come out of it

  4. This is the reason why napoli have remained trophiless for a long time.Dont buy Africans and rfmain trophiless.useless and greedy president.

  5. He has lost some of his best players during the season because of these tournaments. And if they get injured he is still paying them. It is not a racist thing. Just a business decision. These clubs provide the best medical care for these players. And proper wages. I also would want a guarantee that they put the club first. ADL can be bullheaded at times. But he is running a business first, and the players and agents are also doing the same. This years WC will disrupt all the UEFA leagues. Put on hold so a repressive regime can try to sports wash their country, and the atrocities committed to build the stadiums and infrastructure.

  6. He has a point tho.. African cup risk injuries while the leagues carry on.. and it happened every 2 years, too soon

  7. racist president not new you always told your players don’t sign for other Italian club what a nonsense

  8. Idiocy at its peak
    Note my words in the next 2 seasons victor will leave your club and join better one to win trophies

  9. @villarusso That’s rubbish. Don’t other players risk injuries when they go on international duty to play in qualifiers and friendlies? Even more so because African players rarely go on international duty for their countries when playing friendlies or even some qualifiers unless the friendly is played in Europe. It’s discrimination pure and simple. I suspect Osimhen is on the verge of leaving the club because this man is probably too much of a coward to have said this if Koulibaly and Osimhen were staying at the club for the upcoming season.

  10. Funny for a nation that has flooded the world with emigrants for centuries. Many Italian players want to come and play in English Premier League or elsewhere however you cap foreigners into Serie A. Football is competitive sport, it should be open to the best, by imposing these rules you are actually not helping Italian players at all, just giving them artificial safety. Think back when Serie A was the best in the world, you could have free flow of foreign players, attracting the very best. At that time you also had Italian born players that were brilliant and do you know why? Because they had to show they are worth the shirt of the team. When is the last time you have produced a big name at that level? I can have a list here but I think it stops with Totti and Pirlo… the rest with few exceptions are there just because they are Italians… Quality is created through competition and for as long as you have those stupid rules in place you will continue to sink as a league and football nation. I hate to see that as a life long AC Milan fan but it is unfortunately true

  11. @Tom…

    Here is a progressive among others on this thread crying “racism” without acknowledging the fact that ADL has a very good point. He needs to protect his club investment which seems lost on the Social Justice kneejerk Warriors.

    Now, this only becomes a wise decision IF he decides to sign ITALIAN youth talent including those who could become naturalized Italian citizens. For the record, I love Gnonto and think Kean can still help the Nazionale-so you SJW can stick your “racism” axiom up yours.
    l
    @Tony…

    You and a few of us seem to have a more logical understanding of the situation. You are absolutely correct.

  12. Coming from an african – I do not think this is a racist comment. I have never understood why the AFCON is held while the european leagues are ongoing – and at an important phase of the league (just after the league restart). The south american and euro events start after the league season has finished so I can understand where his comments are coming from. You lose one of your best players (and in Napoli case it was two very important squad players) for a month every 2 years. I am pretty sure he was not talking about qualifies as all nations play during the international break.

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