A European club chief has criticised the timing of the Africa Cup of Nations, claiming he is willing to take legal action to prevent his players from leaving for the tournament.
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Bayer Leverkusen have had a phenomenal start to the new Bundesliga season, with manager Xabi Alonso's men mounting a serious German title challenge – Die Schwarzroten are currently top of the league standings after 12 games.
Not only do they have their Spanish manager to thank for this, but also their quality players, many of whom are African. The likes of Victor Boniface, Edmond Tapsoba and Amine Adli have all played massive roles in the club's recent ascendance, but they could all miss significant time in the season as many of their African contingent are Ivory Coast-bound in 2024 for the next AFCON.
This is not something that sits well with Bayer chairman Fernando Carro, who has lambasted the timing of the continental showpiece and also admitted that the club is exploring legal options to prevent their stars from leaving in January.
"It is unacceptable that the Africa Cup is being played in the middle of the season," the 59-year-old told Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger.
"In order to change that, I will enter into a dispute with FIFA.
"We are also checking whether there is a legal chance of not having to release the players.
"That is not realistic. And in principle I don't want to prevent anyone from taking this step."
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Boniface and Nathan Tella (both Nigeria), Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), and Adli and Ayman Aourir (both Morocco) all play for prominent African nations, and could be away in the Ivory Coast for close to a month at a time when European club football is at its busiest.
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