Former Liverpool defender, Jamie Carragher has apologized for his recent comments which belittled the Africa Cup of Nations.
Carragher had suggested that AFCON does not carry the same weight as other major international tournaments, sparking widespread criticism from football figures and fans alike across the continent and beyond.
“I love debates, but what I would never want to be described as a pundit who is ignorant and disrespectful. It was never my aim, whether it’s a team, a player, a continent or a tournament,” he said on CBS Sports Golazo, UEFA Champions League show.
He went on: “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.
“I’ve been rooting for Mo Salah to be the first African player to win the Ballon d’Or since George Weah in the mid 90’s, but I should have been a lot tidier with my language around it, but if you look at where the Euros are right now, it resonates with some of the journalists, national coaches and captains who choose who wins the award.
“One of the reasons is that we forget that the Ballon d’Or was primarily for European football, so maybe there is a bias to European football. It was not my aim to offend anybody.”
