A European club chief has slammed the timing of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
A European club chief has criticized the African Cup of Nations schedule, saying he is prepared to take legal action to prevent his players from taking part in the tournament.
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Bayer Leverkusen have enjoyed a phenomenal start to the Bundesliga season, with manager Xabi Alonso’s men launching a serious challenge for the German title. – Die Schwarzroten are currently at the top of the championship table after 12 matches.
For this they owe not only to their Spanish coach, but also to their quality players, many of whom are African. Players like Victor Boniface, Edmond Tapsoba and Amine Adli have all played a major role in the club’s recent rise, but they could all miss an important period of the season as a large part of their African contingent will travel to Ivory Coast in 2024 for the next CAN.
It’s not something that sits well with Bayer president Fernando Carro, who blasted the timing of the continental showpiece and also admitted the club was exploring legal options to stop their stars leaving in January.
“It is unacceptable that the African Cup is being played in the middle of the season,” said the 59-year-old. Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger.
“To change this, I will enter into conflict with FIFA.
“We are also checking whether there is a legal possibility of not having to release the players.
“It’s not realistic. And in principle, I don’t want to stop anyone from taking this step.”
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Boniface and Nathan Tella (both Nigerians), Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), as well as Adli and Ayman Aourir (both Moroccans) all play for major African nations and could be away in Ivory Coast for almost a month at a time when European club football is at its peak.
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