ROME — Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis says his club will not sign African players anymore unless they agree not to play in the African Cup of Nations.

The tournament takes place every two years and normally runs for a month from early January, midway through the season of Europe’s top leagues — apart from in 2019, when it was held from June to July for the first and so far only time.

Kalidou Koulibaly, a defender who moved from Napoli to Chelsea this summer, captained Senegal to its first African Cup title at the start of this year. Koulibaly said it was “a difficult moment” for Napoli during the AFCON tournament but that the comments were unfair.

The Chelsea center back said others in Napoli don’t support De Laurentiis’ viewpoint.

Napoli still has three African players on its books: Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen, Cameroon midfielder André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Algeria midfielder Adam Ounas. — Agencies