Naples, Koulibaly to De Laurentiis: “Respect for Africans”

by our correspondent Davide Chinellato

August 3
– London (Ing)

First the strong statements of Aurelio De Laurentiis, then the response of Kalidou Koulibaly. The Napoli president had stated that he would no longer buy African players, unless they had given up participating in the Africa Cup of Nations. The reply of the Senegalese defender, who had just left to join Chelsea, was not long in coming: “For me the most important thing is to respect everyone. When I played in Naples, I also represented Senegal. It is true that it was tough when we went to the Cup. of Africa, but we also need respect for the African national teams. As the captain of Senegal, I think it is not right to speak of an African national team like that. I respect what you think, if you believe that the team can play without Africans it is your right. sure that in Naples there are many people who do not think like him. I take these words as what he thinks, not as what the city or the club thinks “, he declared.