Former England defender, Jamie Carragher, has responded to the criticisms he got for insinuating that the Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, is not a major tournament.
The former Liverpool captain was talking about Mohamed Salah not winning the Ballon d’Or due to Egypt’s absence from a major tournament.
Football legends from the continent like Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, John Mikel Obi, Elhadji Diouf among others, hit back at Carragher over his remarks.
Following the backlash he received, Carragher has come out to clarify what he meant about the AFCON tournament.
“It was never my aim, whether it’s a team, a player, a continent or a tournament.
“Where I would say I got it wrong is 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, not just AFCON, the Asian Cup or the Gold Cup. There are five major tournaments besides the World Cup for each continent.
“However, some of them don’t resonate with the people who vote for the Ballon d’Or, and that’s not an opinion; it’s a fact. Look at those who’ve won the award over the last 40-50 years,” the 47-year-old said on CBS Sports Golazo UEFA Champions League show.
