Deroy Duarte to Africa Cup with Cape Verde
Deroy Duarte is missing from the Sittard fields during the first month of the new calendar year.
The 24-year-old midfielder will travel with Cape Verde to Ivory Coast, where the Africa Cup is scheduled to begin January 13. Cape Verde is assigned to Group B, where the island group will compete against the national teams of Egypt, Ghana and Mozambique.
The preparations for the new tournament begin immediately after the turn of the year, so Duarte will not report to the training field at Fortuna. Cape Verde will be in action on Jan. 14, 19 and 22. Should Cape Verde make it to the quarterfinals, the Rotterdam native will also be missing part of February. The final will be played on Feb. 11.
In the Duarte home, the tournament will be followed with extra attention. Besides Deroy, older brother Laros has also been called up. The FC Groningen midfielder can make his debut for Cape Verde during the Africa Cup. Deroy Duarte has already played eight times for the Blue Sharks.
Preparations second half of the season
For the selection, preparations for the second half of the Eredivisie season begin on January 2. The team will begin field training at 11:00 a.m. at the EVV Echt complex.