I got my AFCON remarks wrong – Jamie Carragher apologizes [Video]

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has responded to criticism over his remarks about the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), insisting he never intended to undermine the tournament’s significance.

Carragher faced backlash after suggesting that Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or could be hindered due to a lack of a major tournament with Egypt.

“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 comments sparked outrage from several African football legends, including Emmanuel Adebayor, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Ahmed Elmohamady, as well as fellow English football great Rio Ferdinand.

However, speaking on CBS Sports on March 4, 2025, Carragher acknowledged that his wording was clumsy and admitted he could have expressed his point more carefully.

Clarifying his stance, he explained that he was not dismissing AFCON’s importance but rather highlighting how certain tournaments may carry more weight with Ballon d’Or voters.

“I don’t disrespect a club, a country, a continent, an international tournament, whatever that may be. Where I got it wrong, was 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.”

He further elaborated that his comment extended to other continental tournaments like the Asian Cup and Gold Cup, which, in his view, do not always have the same impact on Ballon d’Or voting as competitions like the Copa América or the European Championship.

“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.