AFCON “small tournament” comment: More African legends knock Carragher

African football legends are firing back at Jamie Carragher after the former Liverpool defender dismissed the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as a “not a major tournament”.

Diaspora Digital Media had earlier reported that the retired defender, while speaking on Sky Sports after Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Sunday, suggested that Salah’s nationality and Egypt’s international record could hinder his chances of claiming football’s most prestigious individual award.

“I think the problem [is] the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such or maybe got a great chance of winning,” Carragher said.

“I think it’s either the Champions League or the major tournament. Normally, the player who excels in that, like Vini Jr. and (Kylian) Mbappe right now, Real Madrid looking really good going for the Champions League.”

Austin ‘JayJay’ Okocha, a Nigerian football legend, subtly slammed Carragher, saying, “There are some players, when they say something, you overlook it. You look at their career and look at the type of football they played, then you can understand.”

Okocha also jokingly added that no one would want their son to grow up and play like Carragher.

El Hadji Diouf, a Senegalese football legend and Carragher’s former teammate at Liverpool, was more direct in his response, telling Carragher that Africans don’t need to prove anything to anyone.

Diouf highlighted the massive global following of the AFCON, with over 1.4 billion viewers in more than 170 countries.

He also named African football legends like Eto’o, Drogba, Okocha, and Mohamed Salah, who have made significant impacts on world football.

“Africans don’t need to prove anything to anyone. The AFCON is watched in more than 170 countries, with more than 1.4 billion viewers, and it is one of the largest football tournaments in the World.

“Africa gave birth to legends that shook world football. Eto’o, Drogba, Okocha, Asamoah Gyan, George Weah, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and others.

“These ones wrote their names in gold, and you Carragher can’t even sit with them at the same table. Respect the AFCON and Africa. Carragher, it’s not even worth talking about!”

Austin Eguavoen, a former Nigerian footballer and coach, also weighed in on the controversy, calling Carragher’s comments “ignorant” and “disrespectful.”

Eguavoen, who won the AFCON with Nigeria in 1994, emphasized the tournament’s importance and expects Carragher to apologize for his remarks.

Ahmed Elmohamady, an Egyptian football legend, chimed in, saying Carragher doesn’t know what a major tournament is because he never won one. Elmohamady proudly mentioned his own AFCON wins with Egypt in 2008 and 2010.

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