Former Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher has admitted that he was too blunt with his AFCON comments, wishing he had been more diplomatic while championing Mohamed Salah’s Ballon d’Or bid.
Carragher’s recent comments, made during a discussion about Mohamed Salah and the Ballon d’Or, ignited a firestorm of criticism.
Mohamed Salah’s brilliance this season has taken a new dimension so much so that there is a genuine conversation about him being the Ballon d’Or winner.
The conversation took a contentious turn when Jamie Carragher made a disparaging comment about the Africa Cup of Nations, sparking widespread outrage.
The former defender stated that Salah’s inability to win a “major tournament” – in his view, the Euros, Copa America, or the World Cup – placed the Egyptian forward at a disadvantage when it came to Ballon d’Or voting.
Carragher’s cavalier dismissal of AFCON, a tournament that holds a special place in the hearts of African nations, sparked outrage among many, especially former African players who have proudly represented their countries on the continental stage.
Football legends like Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, John Mikel Obi, Rio Ferdinand among others, hit back at Carragher over his remarks.
After facing intense backlash on social media for downplaying the significance of AFCON, Jamie Carragher has stepped forward to provide context and clarify his remarks about the prestigious African tournament.
The English addressed the issue in greater depth during his latest appearance on CBS Sports’ Champions League coverage on Tuesday night.
“What I would say is you know me better than anyone on this show and I’ve got very strong opinions on the game, I love debate and that will never change. But what I never want to be described as as a pundit would be ignorant or disrespectful, so that was never my aim, whether that’s to a club, a player, a country, a continent, an international tournament, whatever that may be. What I would say is, where I got it wrong was I was clumsy with my language, in describing AFCON as not a major tournament.
“I was trying to explain the merits of Mo Salah winning the Ballon d’Or and I felt, or feel, that not just AFCON, but the Asia Games or Gold Cup, not so much the Copa America, but there are five more competitions out there besides the World Cup that are for their continent a major tournament. Some of them don’t resonate with people who vote for the Ballon d’Or and that was not an opinion, that was a fact in terms of looking at who won the Ballon d’Or over the last 40 or 50 years.”
Although no African player has claimed the Ballon d’Or since George Weah’s triumph in 1995, talented players like Sadio Mane have narrowly missed out, finishing as runner-up in the 2022 edition.
Mohamed Salah’s stellar season has seen him score 25 goals and provide 16 assists in the Premier League, catapulting him into the top six of the all-time Premier League goal scorers’ chart.
With a tally of 182 goals, he is on the cusp of breaking into the top five, just two goals shy of Sergio Aguero’s fifth-place record. Salah’s impressive contribution of seven goals helped Liverpool claim top spot in the Champions League group stage. His combined total of 51 goal involvements is the highest among all players in Europe’s top five leagues, making him a strong frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or.
Winning the prestigious award would be a historic moment for African football, cementing Salah’s status as a trailblazer.
