“I Meant No Disrespect” – Jamie Carragher Responds to AFCON Controversy

Retired English footballer and former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher has once again addressed the controversy surrounding his comments on the AFCON tournament.

According to Jamie Carragher, he meant no form of disrespect when he commented on the AFCON tournament on CBS Sports on March 4.

He asserted that his remarks were misconstrued and did not reflect the message he intended to convey.

“I don’t disrespect a club, a country, a continent, an international tournament, whatever that may be. Where I got it wrong was that 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—I would say the Asia Games, the Gold Cup, not so much the Copa America. There are five major tournaments out there, besides the World Cup, that are for their continent and obviously major tournaments. But some of them don’t resonate with the people who vote for the Ballon d’Or. I’ve been banging the drum for Mo Salah to become the first African player to win the Ballon d’Or since George Weah in the mid-90s. So, I should have been a lot tidier with my language around that,” he explained.

It will be recalled that during the post-match analysis of Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City on February 23, 2025, on Sky Sports, Carragher stated that although Mohammed Salah, an Egyptian, excels with Liverpool, the lack of a major tournament for his national team could hinder his chances of winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

“I think the problem is that he [Salah] is with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in a major tournament, or maybe doesn’t have a great chance of winning. I think it’s either the Champions League or a major tournament.

“Normally, the player who excels in that, like Vini Jr. and Mbappe right now, Real Madrid are looking really good going for the Champions League. Liverpool will be in that conversation, but right now, Los Blancos are certainly the front-runners,” he said.

His statement drew heavy criticism from many African football legends, including Emmanuel Adebayor, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Ahmad Elmohamady, as well as his fellow English football legend, Rio Ferdinand.

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