Paris, Nov 5 (IANS): Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol may find himself in trouble by suggesting that African football players lack "intelligence and discipline" during an interview with French newspaper Sud-Ouest.

"There will be a lot less African players signing for Bordeaux because I don't want to find myself with 12 players who, every two years, leave for a couple of months," said the 37-year-old boss of the Ligue 1 side, bemoaning the fact that many African players leave their clubs midway through the season for Africa Cup of Nations, reports Xinhua.

Bordeaux, now in fourth position of the standings with a deficit of seven points away from leaders Marseille, currently has six Africans in the first team.

"The advantage of an African player is that he's cheap when you get him, ready to fight, but football isn't just about that. It's also about technique, intelligence, and discipline. You need to have it all," added Sagnol, a former French international.