English pundit Jamie Carragher is not one of the most loved persons in Africa at this time following his comments in a Sky Sports show, where he unconsciously stated that the AFCON is not a major tournament.
The statement was made during discussions centered around Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or given his sensational performances so far this season for Liverpool, chattering records in the Premier League.
The Egyptian has been the best player so far, far above anyone closest to him. His level of consistency has been good enough to even rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in their prime, while he has further distanced himself from unworthy comparison.
Although still very early, his performances have started earning him Ballon d’Or shouts as he has so far outclassed the other competitors for the prestigious prize.
What Jamie Carragher Said?
During a Sky Sports broadcast, Jamie Carragher opined that Mohamed Salah’s participation in AFCON might not substantially enhance his Ballon d’Or prospects.
He implied that tournaments like the UEFA Champions League or the FIFA World Cup carry more weight in the eyes of voters.
“I think the problem is the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such of maybe got a greater chance of winning. I think it’s either the major Champions League or the major tournament.”
This perspective was met with immediate pushback from fellow pundits Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge, who emphasized AFCON’s significance, equating it to the European Championship and Copa America.
African pundits and legends, including former Egypt international Ahmed Elmohamady has hit back at Jamie Carragher for his comments, with Elmohamady tweeting on his official X handle:
“Jamie Carragher doesn’t know what Major Tournaments is because he never won one. AFCON is A Major Tournament. So proud to won it twice”.
While Jamie Carragher’s comments has been received with harsh response and criticism, with others even condemning him for racism, facts shows that the Englishman, although is not innocent of racism, but this time appears someone informed of the history of African football.
From overlooking players’ AFCON performances to the invention of a different award to home based stars, here is how CAF, the major stakeholder of African football failed its own major tournaments.
Did CAF Even Rate the AFCON?
Before condemning Jamie Carragher for his comments, one should ask how prestigious the Confederation of African Football, CAF, considers the AFCON and judge based on the evidence presented.
It would be the highest level of hypocrisy not to acknowledge that the AFCON, though is a major tournament, has never been treated as such when it comes to criteria for winning any major award, even in the CAF awards.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has, most times, seemingly undermined the prestige of its own flagship tournament through its award selections.
There have been several instances where standout performers in African Cup of Nation were overlooked during the CAF Player of the Year awards.
To start with, former Egypt international Ahmed Hassan, a four-time AFCON champion and the world’s most-capped male footballer with 184 appearances, never clinched the CAF Player of the Year award.
His consistent excellence in the tournament did not translate into individual recognition from CAF, albeit he won the AFCON Player of the tournament on multiple occasions, he was never in the top three of CAF Player of the year.
Similarly, in his prime, Austin Okocha was joy to watch. Unarguably the most technically gifted player in the history of Africa. He led Nigeria to Tunisia 2004 AFCON, winning the player of the tournament and at the same time finished top scorer.
He was overlooked by CAF for the player of the year award, finishing behind both Samuel Eto’o and Didier Drogba.
Also in 2013, despite Nigeria’s triumph in the AFCON and John Obi Mikel’s pivotal role in that success, while also adding Chelsea’s Europa League title on the back of the Champions League success, the CAF Player of the Year award was bestowed upon Yaya Toure.
Several other AFCON POTT Winners overlooked by CAF
Rigobert Song of Cameroon in 2002, Hosny Abd Rabo of Egypt in 2008, Christopher Katongo of Zambia in 2012, Jonathan Pitroipa of Burkina Faso in 2013, Christian Atsu of Ghana in 2015, Christian Bassong of Cameroon in 2017, Ismael Bennacer of Algeria in 2019 and William Troost-Ekong of Nigeria in 2024.
To worsen matters, some AFCON Player of the tournament winners did not even make it into CAF Team of the same year. Christian Atsu of Ghana in 2015 and same goes for Nigerian, William Troost-Ekong in the most recent edition, falling victims.
Creation of African Inter Club Player of the Year award
CAF’s decision to create the African Inter-Club Player of the Year award serves as a mere consolation for Africa-based players who are often overlooked for the main CAF Player of the Year honor is a way of compromising the prestige of African competitions.
Despite excelling in major continental tournaments like the CAF Champions League and AFCON, these players rarely get due recognition.
This undermines the significance of Africa’s top competitions, as CAF itself appears to be reinforcing the idea that only Europe-based players deserve elite accolades.
Mohamed Aboutrika perfectly embodies this issue. Despite leading Al Ahly to multiple CAF Champions League titles and starring for Egypt in AFCON triumphs, he never won the CAF Player of the Year award.
Instead, he was restricted to the African Inter-Club Player of the Year, winning the award four times with his consistency between 2006 and 2013.
By failing to prioritize performances in its own tournaments, CAF devalues African football, contributing to the perception that its events lack global prestige
Consequences of CAF’s Neglection
Continuously overlooking the standout performers in AFCON have led to confusion and debates about the criteria CAF employs in recognizing the best players in the continent. In the same vein, it continues to diminish the AFCON’s prestige.
The apparent inconsistencies in CAF’s award selections suggest a lack of clear criteria, leading to perceptions that performances in AFCON are undervalued. So, can anyone really blame Jamie Carragher?
The AFCON is a major tournament, but the ambiguity by CAF has apparently not only affects players’ morale (where some choose not to honor international call up for the tournament) but also influences how the tournament is perceived globally.
There have also been cases where clubs threaten to hold on to their players and not allow them take part in the tournament because they gave it little recognition – how do these clubs differ from Jamie?
In the end, CAF can only look within and concede the blame for every insult hurled at it. The organization inadvertently sends a message that AFCON may not hold significant weight in assessing a player’s excellence by overlooking the standout performers.
Conclusion and the Bigger Picture
AFCON remains a major tournament, deserving of recognition commensurate with its importance just the like European Championship and the Copa America.
This comment by Jamie Carragher serves as a wake up call for CAF and not excluding the players themselves – in years where it is the only continental tournaments held, it should be able to give African players extra edge in global honours like the Ballon d’Or.
However, for it to be genuinely esteemed on the global stage, CAF must lead by example, ensuring that performances in AFCON are duly acknowledged and celebrated.
By doing so, the tournament’s prestige can be elevated, alter prevailing perceptions, and advocate effectively for African players’ rightful place in global football honors.
The coming to live of the topic may also aid the cause of Mohamed Salah in his quest to become only the second African to win the Ballon d’Or after George Weah in 1995, as it educates the uninformed public that AFCON is indeed a major tournament.
Salah, will be looking to have a good outing with the Pharaohs of Egypt in Morocco later in the year, and hope to win the major titles with Liverpool at the end of the season to bolster his chances.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
