Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfielder, Mikel John-Obi, has blasted former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher after his comments regarding the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and its importance as a major tournament.
In a post-match interview with Sky Sports recently, alongside former EPL players Micah Richards, Daniel Sturridge, and Roy Keane, Carragher discussed Mohamed Salah’s prospects of winning the 2025 Ballon d’Or and pointed out that the Egyptian faces a significant problem over his lack of success in major tournaments.
Though Salah has not yet won the title, he was second in 2017 and 2021.
During the post-match analysis, Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge quickly corrected Jamie Carragher’s assertion that the AFCON is not a major tournament.
He has faced backlash on social media over his failure to recognise the Africa Cup of Nations as a ‘major tournament.’
A notable response came from Mikel Obi on The Obi One podcast, where he labelled his comments as ‘disrespectful.’
Obi said, “It’s so disrespectful what he said. The Africa Cup of Nations is as big (as the Euros). I’ve played in it and won it. It’s not in his f***ing place to discredit the AFCON. He sits there week in, week out teaching and coaching people on how to win the Premier League, and he never won it!”
He talked about the importance of role models in inspiring young people to engage in the game, and said: “Children, kids grow up watching their idols put in everything in supporting their country.
“The future generation influx of African players coming into the Premier League, come to Europe to play, it’s all because they grew up watching the African Cup of Nations”.
Mikel Obi won the AFCON with Nigeria in 2013. He won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, one UEFA Champions League (2012), and two UEFA Europa League titles with Chelsea.
