Jamie Carragher has, rightfully, come in for a load of stick for his opinions about the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). After Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend, all eyes were on Mohamed Salah’s record-breaking performance. When pundits were discussing whether Salah should be a contender for the prestigious Ballon d’Or football award Carragher made an ignorant comment:
I think the problem is the fact he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in the major tournament as such or maybe got a great chance of winning. I think it’s either the Champions League or the major tournament [that wins it], the player who excels in that, like Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe right now.
It doesn’t take a genius to understand that AFCON, and African players, have historically been undervalued by European football. Unfortunately, Jamie Carragher is no genius.
Jamie Carragher: racist bias
Tobi Ayinde wrote for Culture Custodian that:
One of the primary reasons for AFCON’s devaluation constant entitlement is the global football narrative, which is heavily shaped by European perspectives. The media plays a significant role in influencing how tournaments are perceived, and AFCON has not been given the same status as the Euros or Copa América. European competitions receive extensive coverage, while AFCON is often treated as an afterthought.
Football isn’t immune from the ongoing effects of coloniality and racism.
Salah is in the form of his life but, as a Muslim and Egyptian footballer, hasn’t come close to winning football’s most prestigious individual prize. AFCON is a major tournament but it’s devalued by European football associations, fans, and media – including pundits like Jamie Carragher.
If AFCON isn’t treated like a major tournament it’s because racist views like Carragher’s dominate in the industry. Otherwise, it’s difficult to see how a footballing tournament comprised of 24 African nations isn’t “major.”
Immediate pushback
Jamie Carragher’s comments immediately received pushback from fellow pundits Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge. Richards interjected with:
I’ll just say, AFCON is a major tournament. A lot of people at home will say they’re taking that seriously. AFCON is a major tournament, just so you know.
And, Sturridge said:
If you win the Euros or the Copa America it’s deemed to be big, so AFCON is on the same level.
The response from fellow footballers and sports journalists has also been scathing. Ex-footballer Rio Ferdinand said:
That comment [Carragher’s] is representative of the majority of people out there… The majority of people out there would say that. I don’t think that’s right, I think that’s an ignorant thought process.
Sports broadcaster John Bennett said:
AFCON is huge. It’s massively tough to win. & it means the world to the players.
Ask Eto’o, Yaya, Salah, Drogba, Mane etc – who’ve won it all in Europe – what AFCON means to them.
There is no debate to be had about whether it’s a major tournament. The answer is clear. End of.
Egyptian former footballer Ahmed Elmohamady was similarly blunt:
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.
Ahmed Hassan, former Egypt captain and four-time AFCON winner, said:
I would like to point out that more than half of the players in Europe’s top leagues are of African descent. In fact, some of the biggest national teams in Europe have more than half of their squad composed of players of African origin, such as the French national team, the reigning world champions.
It’s no surprise that typically extractivist, and thereby fundamentally colonial, processes mean that African players are seen as a personal shopping mart for European football. In 2022, an audit of European club football showed over 500 African players competing in European club football. And, as Hassan points out, many players of African descent play for European national teams also.
Hassan concluded:
Finally, I emphasise my message to Carragher: your statements are of no importance to us, and AFCON will always be a top competition globally that attract billions of audience from around the globe.
Give over
In response to the criticism Jamie Carragher said on Twitter (X) (spelling Ballon d’Or wrong):
The point I was trying to make yesterday was that MO Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Balon D’or [sic]. If Salah had an average season at LFC but won the AFCON & was MVP I don’t think he would win the Balon d’or.
The thing is, there’s a huge difference between saying that one of the reasons Salah hasn’t won the Ballon d’Or is because of institutional racist bias versus saying that Salah may not win the Ballon d’Or because AFCON isn’t a major tournament.
Without criticising the systems that mean AFCON is often not regarded as a major tournament by footballing bodies and European media, Jamie Carragher might have had a leg to stand on. But, based on what he actually said, Carragher is defending a clumsy and ignorant remark that replicates the historical racist bias against AFCON.
Featured image via the Canary
