Osimhen goal, Nigeria in the African Cup. And Napoli will lose it

On the wings of Victor Osimhen, Nigeria sealed the qualification for the next edition of the African Cup with one game to spare. Excellent news for the striker and for his national team, but much less so for Napoli, who will have to do without their leader for a few weeks between January and February, when the competition takes place in the Ivory Coast. His brace against Sierra Leone had paved the way for the selection coached by José Peseiro, who had been reached just before the 90th minute by Kargbo’s draw; Iheanacho’s goal in full stoppage time allowed Nigeria to hit the target with one game still to play, against Sao Tomé and Principe at the beginning of September.

Arm wrestling

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Aurelio De Laurentiis will not be happy about it. For some time, the president has been insistently asking Fifa to find a solution for the Africa Cup that does not deprive the clubs of players during the current season. A problem that Napoli has been carrying around for some time, first with Koulibaly and Ghoulam, today with Osimhen and Anguissa above all. Indeed, initially, the tournament had been scheduled from 23 June to 23 July 2023, to then be moved from 13 January to 11 February 2024. The postponement was made official a year ago by the president of the Caf, Patrice Motsepe, due to the too hostile climate in the summer period, which in the Ivory Coast corresponds to the rainy season. “We can’t take such a risk. January isn’t the best time for European teams, but it’s the only solution we have,” Motsepe said at the press conference held in Rabat last July.