AFCON is not a “backyard tournament”
Liverpool football club and Three Lions of England legend, Jamie Carragher, recently stirred the hornet’s nest when he referred to the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) as not a major tournament. If he were a Nigerian, maybe he would have referred to the highly cherished African competition as a “backyard tournament.” Speaking shortly after Liverpool’s […]
AFCON
Liverpool football club and Three Lions of England legend, Jamie Carragher, recently stirred the hornet’s nest when he referred to the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) as not a major tournament. If he were a Nigerian, maybe he would have referred to the highly cherished African competition as a “backyard tournament.”
Speaking shortly after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over English Premier League (EPL) title holders, Manchester City, Carragher who adores Salah said the player is not among the favourites for this year’s Ballon d’Or because the AFCON is not up to the standard of Euros.
Immediately after his controversial remark, there was a backlash as the whole of the continent, led by its legendary stars like Didier Drogba, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Mike Obi and Austin Eguavoen, descended on him, saying he had disrespected one of the biggest tournaments in the world. In fact, Okocha almost took it personal with Carragher when he said the Liverpool legend was such an awful player in his days and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
As a matter of fact, Okocha summed up his speech by saying that Carragher was such a poor player that no one would be happy to name his son after him. His angry assessment elicited a loud laughter from his young audience. It was that bad. However, it is said that he who brings an ant infested log into his compound should expect the visit of lizards. Carragher goaded African legends and got what he deserved.
Anyway, when it dawned on him that he had goofed, the renowned football pundit amended his initial statement by saying that he didn’t mean to underrate the AFCON as his intention was to bring forth the fact that past winners of the Ballon d’Or were mostly European players who took part in the Euros. He said, “One of the reasons might be because the Ballon d’Or was the European Footballer of the Year, so maybe voters are biased towards European football.”
Carragher, who spoke on CBS Sports, went further to say “I should have been much tidier with my language around that, but you look at the Euros and other competitions, and some of them resonate with Ballon d’Or voters.
“Where I got it wrong is, I was clumsy with my language in describing AFCON as not a major tournament.” This showed how remorseful he had become after the backlash, but it was like medicine after death. Most people are still upset by his uncomplimentary comments.
However, Carragher is not the first European to incur the wrath of Africans for disparaging or attempting to undermine the worth of the AFCON. It will be recalled that before the 2022 edition of the tournament, the then manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, made a similar mistake and was forced to eat his words immediately. Pained by the fact that he was going to lose three of his most influential players, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita to the tournament, klopp described the AFCON as “one little tournament” somewhere in Africa. Instantly, there was an uproar as Africans demanded an apology from him.
In the end, he celebrated the AFCON with Mane who inspired the Terranga Lions of Senegal to their maiden victory. There was no way Klopp wouldn’t have celebrated the “little tournament” in 2022 because on the losing side was Salah, who is still Liverpool’s livewire.
I also remember that in my reaction to klopp’s “little tournament” remark which was published on the day of the 2022 AFCON final, I wrote: “Whether “little tournament” or not, one of Klopp’s star players must win the trophy tonight. He is going to celebrate the AFCON trophy with either Mo Salah or Sadio Mane. This is why the moment the two finalists emerged on Thursday, many people felt happy that Klopp was going to eat his words.
“Personally, I am not bothered about what anyone in Europe feels about the AFCON. The exalted tournament is progressing in the right direction, and indications are strong that sooner than later, the world will come to give the AFCON the recognition it deserves.”
So, I still stand by my solemn declaration that the AFCON has come of age, and there is nothing anyone can do to diminish its towering status. Rather than bother ourselves about what anyone who is still living in the past feels about our prestigious tournament, we should channel our energy into fostering an even more classy and profitable competition. It is only the spirit of envy that will make someone describe the AFCON as a tournament of no significance.
Furthermore, we should find ways to make the leagues in Africa compete favourably with their European counterparts. At the moment, our best legs are attracted to European clubs because they know exactly where their cake is baked. Apart from North African clubs, playing for clubs in other regions of the continent is a waste of time and energy.
Permit me to reiterate that the desperation by African players to ply their trade in foreign leagues is an indication that football in the continent is unattractive as the remuneration is usually nothing to entice any talented player. This has to stop for the likes of Klopp and Carragher to begin to show some respect to African football. Anyone who goes about cap in hand is neither taken seriously nor treated with respect.
So, the onus is now on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to use the next edition in Morocco to silence critics of the AFCON. The last tournament in Cote d’Ivoire was judged to be a huge success in the area of organisation and standard of play, but there is always room for improvement. More importantly, African players in Europe should give priority to the tournament. At times, some of them prefer to stay back in Europe to play for their clubs to return home to represent their national teams. When they treat the AFCON with such disdain, they inadvertently fuel the contemptuous attitude of some Europeans towards the prestigious tournament.
In any case, whether “little tournament,” or “not a major tournament,” as erroneously perceived by Klopp and Carragher, our AFCON is one of the world’s biggest biennial competitions. Let’s support it to attract more global recognition.