A heated debate erupted between football pundits Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher following the dramatic Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco, as differing views emerged over refereeing standards and the wider handling of the tournament.
The discussion was sparked after Carragher revisited concerns around officiating at the AFCON, raising the question of whether European referees should be introduced to improve standards. The former Liverpool defender has previously drawn criticism for comments suggesting the Africa Cup of Nations should not be regarded as a “major tournament,” a stance that has continued to follow him into recent debates.
However, Henry firmly rejected Carragher’s suggestion, insisting that African referees must be trusted and supported. The former France and Arsenal striker underlined the importance of respecting the identity of the competition and allowing African officials to officiate an African tournament.
The AFCON final between Senegal and Morocco proved to be one of the most talked-about matches in recent tournament history. Played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, the final was marked by a series of controversial moments that intensified emotions on and off the pitch.
The most dramatic incident came in the 98th minute when referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty. The decision came shortly after a Senegal goal had been disallowed, leaving coach Pape Thiaw furious. In protest, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch, causing a delay of around 17 minutes before play eventually resumed.
Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane remained on the field and attempted to persuade his teammates to return, and once they did, Morocco’s Brahim Diaz stepped up to take the penalty. His Panenka-style effort was comfortably saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, after which Ndala blew for full-time.
The match went to extra time, where Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal to hand Senegal the trophy. Despite the final outcome, the controversy continued after the match, with both Pape Thiaw and Morocco head coach Walid Regragui facing criticism from journalists during a tense post-match press conference.
Carragher’s comments inevitably reopened debate around his previous remarks about the Africa Cup of Nations. Last year, while discussing Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the Ballon d’Or, he said, “I think the problem lies in the fact that he plays for Egypt, and perhaps he is not participating in a major tournament, or perhaps he has a great chance of winning. I think it is either the Champions League or a major tournament. Usually, it is the player who excels in those tournaments.”
Following backlash, Carragher later clarified his position by explaining what he trusly meant.
“I have very strong opinions about the game, and I love to debate and that will never change. But what I never want to be described as an expert is as ignorant or disrespectful, so that has never been my intention, whether it was towards a club, a player, a country, a continent, an international tournament or anything else. What I would say is that I misused my language when I described the Africa Cup of Nations as not being a major tournament,” he shared.
He added, “I was trying to explain the merits of Mohamed Salah winning the Ballon d’Or and I felt, or I feel, that it is not only the Africa Cup of Nations, but also the Asian Games or the Gold Cup, and perhaps to a lesser extent the Copa America, but there are five other competitions besides the World Cup that are considered major tournaments for their continents. Some of them do not resonate with the people who vote for the Ballon d’Or, and this was not an opinion, but a fact in terms of looking at who has won the Ballon d’Or over the past 40 or 50 years.”
During their appearance on CBS Sports on Tuesday, Carragher again raised concerns over officiating at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
“You mentioned the referees there, couldn’t there be a situation where some of the best European referees are brought in [to oversee the African Cup of Nations matches]?”
Henry immediately pushed back, responding, “You should give African referees a chance. It’s an African tournament, so the referees should be African.”
He added, “I’m talking about sending someone to raise their level, because you see there are more and more mistakes all the time, and that starts to tarnish the reputation of the tournament a little bit. But people blame the tournament – it’s not the fault of the tournament, it’s not the fault of the teams or the players.”
“The competition was outstanding… You don’t want to see a team leaving the field, and for me that’s not going to define how the tournament was. The referees are not at the level of the show.”
Thierry Henry discusses AFCON and the aftermath of the final. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/PVT3llnkBZ
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 20, 2026
