HARRY Redknapp fears the African Nations Cup could wreck Portsmouth's European ambitions after his side's impressive strt to the English Premiership campaign. Redknapp acknowledged that Portsmouth's challenge will be affected more than most of their Premier League rivals by the tournament early next year, when several key players will be missing for up to a month. The prospect of losing the likes of Ghana's Sulley Muntari, Senegal's Papa Bouba Diop and Nigeria's John Utaka fills Redknapp with dread. Nwankwo Kanu and Djimi Traore are the other players who will leave Fratton park in January when the Nations Cup roster is being called. He said: "We're a big, strong imposing team with ability and a bit of pace but we'll lose four or five players for the Nations Cup and that will leave us short.
HARRY Redknapp fears the African Nations Cup could wreck Portsmouth's European ambitions after his side's impressive strt to the English Premiership campaign. Redknapp acknowledged that Portsmouth's challenge will be affected more than most of their Premier League rivals by the tournament early next year, when several key players will be missing for up to a month. The prospect of losing the likes of Ghana's Sulley Muntari, Senegal's Papa Bouba Diop and Nigeria's John Utaka fills Redknapp with dread. Nwankwo Kanu and Djimi Traore are the other players who will leave Fratton park in January when the Nations Cup roster is being called. He said: "We're a big, strong imposing team with ability and a bit of pace but we'll lose four or five players for the Nations Cup and that will leave us short.
Meanwhile Redknapp has challenged FIFA boss Sepp Blatter's demand for teams to field six 'home-grown' players in every team across the world. “I challenge the FIFA chief to find that many able English kids in the entire Premier League. I might be stretching the point but it's to underline that I'm fed up with managers being made scapegoats for the state of our domestic game. The English working class is turning its back on football and that is not my fault.” He continued “I do have a lot of foreign players at Portsmouth but believe me, I'd love nothing more than to field a team of 11 so-called 'home-grown' lads born within the city limits. But it has become harder and harder to find enough kids of the kind of quality required to make the grade without buying an air ticket.” He added.
