Haller leads 'disrespect' claims as Watford risk Africa Cup of Nations fury

Former West Ham United striker Sebastien Haller has called out the hypocrisy around international tournaments as he prepares to represent Cote d'Ivoire at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.

Premier League clubs have been granted a delay in releasing their players for the tournament, which begins on January 9, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Edouard Mendy permitted to represent their clubs one week earlier.

A number of English-based players will join Haller in the Ivorian squad, including Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha and Arsenal's Nicolas Pepe, while Manchester United's Eric Bailly has briefly been recalled by his club after being released early.

While most clubs are preparing to part ways with squad members, though, Watford remain at odds with the Nigerian FA over Emmanuel Dennis' involvement in the tournament.

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Haller, a former France under-21 international, declared for Cote d'Ivoire in 2020.

He has scored 22 goals for Ajax this season, including 10 in the Champions League group stages, making him the leading scorer in the competition.

However, when quizzed about his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations, he was in absolutely no doubt, though he admitted he would rather not have to choose between club and country.

"This statement shows the disrespect for Africa," Haller told De Telegraaf when asked if he would rather remain in the Netherlands in January.

"Would this ever have been presented to a European player towards a European Championship?

"Of course I will go to the Africa Cup to represent Ivory Coast. That is the highest honour. And of course I would have liked to have taken the plane in between to be able to play against FC Utrecht and PSV, but that is simply impossible.

Haller's comments follow allegations from former Senegal defender Habib Beye that African and European football are treated differently.

They also come as Watford manager Claudio Ranieri has cast doubt on the involvement of top scorer Dennis in AFCON, despite the forward being called into the Nigerian squad.

"The email didn't arrive at the right moment. The national team has a time to send a pre-call. They didn't respect the days, and I want to see," Ranieri said, as reported by The Athletic, though a representative for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) told the publication "There is nothing [in the rules] on provisional lists, we only deal with final lists,"

Ranieri revealed he was unsure whether the 24-year-old, a summer signing from Club Brugge, would be released by the Hornets.

"They have a time when they need to send a pre-call; if they don't send it, we can choose," Ranieri said after Dennis scored his eighth league goal of the season against West Ham United.

This year's tournament kicks off with a match between hosts Cameroon and Kamou Malo's Burkina Faso side on January 9, with Nigeria playing their first game on January 11 and Cote d'Ivoire's opener coming one day after that.

Any player whose team makes it to the final will be out of commission until at least February 6.