Former Cameroon defender, Jules Dennis Onana has voiced his support for the partial exclusion of local league players from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), asserting that the overall quality of football in certain African leagues has experienced a decline.

As the participating teams in the 2023 AFCON unveiled their provisional squads last week, the limited inclusion of local players stirred debates.

In contrast to the prevailing sentiment, 59-year-old Onana, in a chat with BRL, holds a divergent perspective.

Drawing on his extensive experience, having played at both the World Cup and the Nations Cup, Onana contends that the varying standards of football leagues play a pivotal role in determining national team call-ups.

“The level of the leagues in Africa, whether in Cameroon or Nigeria, are very low,” Dennis Onana said. “In the old days, we were playing for home leagues, and those teams were very strong.”

“We were strong teams, and we made the national team strong.

“There were teams like Cannon Yaounde, Shooting Stars Of Ibadan, and Union Douala. We only needed two or three players from Europe to help us improve the national team.

“But now, the level of the leagues in Europe is so high that the players in the local leagues cannot compete.

“We hope the national leagues will improve, but Nigeria, Cameroon, and Morocco have so many strong players in Europe that they cannot come and be on the bench at the AFCON.”