Photo: Twitter
Patrick Vieira has called for the Africa Cup of Nations to be shown greater respect as he prepares to lose three Crystal Palace stars to the tournament next month.
AFCON is set to get underway on January 9, with several Premier League players jetting off mid-season to take part.
Their impending departures will provide top-flight bosses with selection dilemmas over the next month, although they are allowed to release players for the tournament later than usual on January 3.
However, Vieira believes AFCON deserves ‘to be more respected’, insisting it is equally as important as the European Championships.
“I respect and understand the passion and the importance to players to go and represent their country so I will never stop any player going to play the Africa Cup of Nations,” he said. Read more.
