Managers' complaints across Europe as players jet off for the African Nations Cup every two years have become the norm in soccer in recent years. This time, the problem has been exacerbated by the change in staging the tournament from even to odd years, meaning there have been just 12 months between finals. This year's tournament in South Africa, which kicks off on Saturday, features 368 players from clubs in 55 countries, showing how widely dispersed exported African players are. There are 27 European countries represented, including Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, and clubs from Brazil, China, Japan and the United States. The French league traditionally provides the most players, this time a total of 50, all but 15 of them from Ligue 1 clubs, who will miss key matches for the three-week tournament. There are 15 players from the Premier League in England, 14 from the top flight in Portugal, 10 from La Liga in Spain and six from Serie A in Italy. FIFA rules stipulate players had to be released by their clubs to prepare 14 days ahead of the competition. Struggling French club AJ Ajaccio are paying a heavy price, losing five regulars to the Nations Cup at a time when they are attempting to stay out of the Ligue 1 relegation zone. "It is not easy especially when you face a difficult fixture list without them," assistant coach Stephane Paganelli told the sports daily L'Equipe. Fellow strugglers Stade Brest have lost three of their usual back four and have already moved to sign a replacement.
