Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports, downplayed AFCON’s significance, arguing that it should not be a factor in Mohamed Salah’s Ballon d’Or aspirations. His comments sparked backlash from African football figures, past and present.

Following the criticism, Carragher later clarified his stance on CBS Sports, insisting he did not intend to disrespect the tournament.

However, Kuffour, a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich, believes an apology is necessary.

“Jamie Carragher has to apologise to all African people because AFCON is not a normal tournament,” Kuffour said on Sporty FM. “Africa has given us the best of the best. Africa has produced a Ballon d’Or winner.”

Kuffour also questioned Carragher’s footballing legacy, suggesting that his success at Liverpool was more about his birthplace than his talent.

“What has Jamie Carragher achieved? If he wasn’t born in Liverpool, he would not have had the chance to play for Liverpool,” Kuffour added.

“If we mention the best 2,000 defenders in the world, Jamie Carragher will not be part of them. He’s nothing. He just talks. He should be ashamed of himself.”

Well that’s what happened when Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher suggested Afcon was not considered a “major tournament”.

So what did Carragher say? Who else has spoken out? And is Afcon disrespected by a European-centric view of world football?

BBC Sport attempts to break down and explain the issues.

What did Carragher say?

Speaking after Liverpool’s 2-0 Premier League win at Manchester City on Sunday, pundits in the Sky Sports studio were discussing Salah’s performance and whether this season could be one of the “greatest” individual campaigns.

The debate then turned to whether Salah could be in line to win the Ballon d’Or – a prestigious annual award for the best player in the world.

The Ballon d’Or is voted for by 100 journalists from around the world, and was won last year by Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

Former Liverpool defender Carragher suggested Salah would have to win the Champions League in order to win the Ballon d’Or because Afcon is not recognised by voters as a “major tournament”.

He added: “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. Normally, the player who excels in that.”

Carragher’s repeated use of the term “major tournament” irked fellow pundits Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge.

Richards stressed Afcon was a “major tournament”, saying: “A lot of people are at home saying ‘They aren’t taking it seriously.’ Afcon is a big tournament.”

Former Liverpool striker Sturridge said: “It’s a fact. If you win the Euros or Copa America it’s deemed to be big – so the Afcon is at the same level.”

Carragher responded: “Egypt are not going to win the World Cup are they?” And when Richards tried to explain, he cut him off and said “Oh God.”

Clips of the exchange were shared widely across social media.

On Monday, Carragher attempted to clarify his comments on X, saying Salah was “at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Ballon d’Or”.

“If Salah had an average season at LFC but won the Afcon & was MVP [Most Valuable Player] I don’t think he would win the Ballon d’Or. Because I don’t think Afcon carries the weight of other tournaments.

“But if Mbappe had an average season at Real Madrid but won the World Cup/Euros, he would still have a great opportunity.”

The backlash

Carragher’s comments drew criticism from a number of former players.

Writing on X, former Aston Villa and Egypt captain Ahmed Elmohamady said: “Jamie Carragher doesn’t know what major tournaments [are] because he never won one. Afcon is a major tournament. So proud to [have] won it twice.”

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand said on his podcast that while he understood Carragher’s point about the weight of Afcon on Ballon d’Or voting, he thought the comment was “an ignorant thought process” and Afcon should be “respected more than it is”.

Carragher – replying on Ferdinand’s Instagram account – called his former England team-mate a “clown” and suggested he was “playing to the gallery”.

Afcon players & Ballon d’Or history

Afcon is held every two years and has typically been staged during European winter time.

No African nation has ever won the World Cup, and only one – Morocco at Qatar 2022 – has reached the semi-finals.

In a comparison of the wealth of the federations, Ivory Coast won $7m (£5.5m) for winning Afcon 2023, Argentina won $42m (£33.3m) for winning the last World Cup, and Spain won approximately 28m euros (£23.4m) for winning Euro 2024.

Former AC Milan and Liberia striker George Weah is the only African player to have won the Ballon d’Or – having done so in 1995.

Senegal and former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane – in 2022 – is the only African player to have finished in the top three in the voting in the 21st century.

The highest Salah has finished is fifth – in 2019 and 2022.

In 2021, former Arsenal and England player Ian Wright said some media coverage of Afcon was “tinged with racism”, asking “Is there ever a tournament more disrespected than the Africa Cup of Nations?”

That was the message from Jamie Carragher after Palmer’s penalty double helped Enzo Maresca’s side to an enthralling 4-3 comeback victory over Tottenham on Sunday.

Palmer has now scored from all of his 12 penalty attempts in the Premier League – the most in the competition’s history without ever missing, after surpassing Yaya Toure’s 11 spot-kick tally for Manchester City.

The England midfielder also has 50 goal involvements (33 goals, 17 assists) in just 48 Premier League games for Chelsea, a feat bettered by only three players.

Erling Haaland for Man City (39), Andy Cole for Newcastle United (43), and Mohamed Salah for Liverpool (46) are the only trio to reach that total in fewer appearances for a club in the competition.

Carragher believes Palmer has already secured Chelsea stardom, though further glory could await for the Man City academy product.

“When you think of Chelsea’s flair players like Gianfranco Zola and Eden Hazard, I think Palmer has done more in 18 months than Zola did, and Zola is one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players,” the former Liverpool defender said on Sky Sports.

“He’s on the same level as Hazard, and that came over four or five years. If he takes Chelsea to a title then he’d go down as one of their greatest ever players if he keeps doing what he’s doing. He’s a special player.”

Maresca’s band of young talent sit just four points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, whose game on Saturday against Everton was postponed due to inclement weather.

There was a storm of a different nature at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, however, as Chelsea fought from 2-0 down to complete a remarkable turnaround.

Enzo Fernandez and Jadon Sancho were both on target, along with Palmer’s cool spot-kick heroics, highlighting the plethora of quality on offer to Maresca.

Carragher refuses to accept the Blues’ early success as a rags-to-riches story, though.

“This Chelsea team is no underdog story,” the former Liverpool defender added. “This is a team that has spent £1.2billion, but what they’re doing this season is something totally unexpected.

“This club are right in the mix for a title challenge.”

Salah, whose current deal expires at the end of the season, told reporters after Sunday’s win at Southampton that he is “probably more out than in” and has yet to be offered fresh terms.

The 32-year-old is Liverpool’s top scorer this season with 12 goals in all competitions and scored twice against the Saints to move the club eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.

“I must say I am very disappointed with Mo Salah,” Carragher told Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. “Liverpool have Real Madrid midweek [in the Champions League] and Man City at the weekend. That’s the story right now.”

He added: “If he keeps putting comments out, his agent puts out cryptic messages, that is selfish. That is thinking about themselves and not the football club.”

Liverpool have not publicly commented on Salah’s remarks, but a club source told BBC Sport that contact between Liverpool and Salah’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, is ongoing and has been positive.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Chris Sutton said Salah’s decision to approach reporters in the mixed zone to talk about his future suggests he wants to stay at Anfield.

“It wasn’t one of those where Mo Salah was asked to talk, he actually made an approach and wanted to speak to a couple of press guys to get things off his chest,” said the former Blackburn and Chelsea striker. “So in that respect it says to me that he wants to stay.”

The Athletic’s Rory Smith added: “It strikes me that he is making it very clear to the Liverpool fans that he wants to stay and that if he doesn’t end up staying that it’s not really a lack of intent on his part.

“The problem will be his age. Liverpool will be looking at the vast data set you have of footballers over the last 20, 30 years, which suggests that at some point in your mid-30s your performances do dip. They will wonder whether is it worth committing £300,000 a week or so to a player who might only have another year at this level.

“Or maybe he will have another two years at this level? Or another five or six? That’s the gamble Liverpool have to take.”

As well as Salah, defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and club captain Virgil van Dijk are also out of contract at the end of the season.

“The most important thing for Liverpool Football Club this season isn’t the future of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold,” added Carragher. “The most important thing is Liverpool winning the Premier League.

“I hope they don’t feel like this club would fall apart if they left. Steven Gerrard left the club and the next manager won the Premier League. Graeme Souness left and Liverpool won the Double.

“Salah, would we miss him? Of course, we would. But Liverpool will move on.”

Carragher questioned the way United were set up on Saturday during Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.

Ten Hag conceded the ex-Liverpool defender “had a point” but said he has been critical “from the first moment”.

“Some analysts are very objective in their comments, very good advice, some are very subjective,” said Ten Hag.

“Jamie Carragher, from the first moment on, has criticised and now he wants to make his point.”

Carragher had pointed out how United “defends like a side I have never seen before” as they played a low defensive block and a high attacking press, which left huge gaps in the middle of the pitch that Fulham exploited on their way to only a second win at Old Trafford since 1963.

Ten Hag said: “Probably in the first half an hour, yeah, he had a point. Fulham in their midfield set up a little bit surprisingly and we had to find solutions. After half an hour we found the solutions.

“I was not pleased with the performance in defending, especially with the left side, how we did the pressing because they came out, especially in the first half an hour, several times on the left side and that can’t happen. And that has everything to do with willingness, spirit and passion.”

Harry Maguire looked to have rescued a point for United after cancelling out Calvin Bassey’s 65th-minute opener, but Alex Iwobi struck the winner deep into injury time when Fulham counter-attacked from a throw-in close to their own corner flag.

Ten Hag accepted that “can’t happen”, adding: “How we managed it as a team is no good.”

Speaking before Wednesday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Nottingham Forest, he added: “I know footballers are not robots, sometimes they have bad days. But it can’t be, it’s unacceptable and we have to do better tomorrow.”

‘Unstoppable Antony’

Ten Hag pushed to sign Brazilian winger Antony from his former club Ajax following his appointment as United boss in 2022.

So far, the £82m fee – second only in United’s history to the amount spent on Paul Pogba – has not proved to be good value.

The 24-year-old has a single goal and one assist this season, both against League Two team Newport in the FA Cup. Against Fulham he was left out of the starting line-up as 19-year-old Omari Forson was handed his full debut.

Ten Hag defended his decision even though Forson failed to shine. And he insists his faith in Antony remains strong.

“I brought in Kobbie Mainoo,” Ten Hag said. “Now, after six weeks, the same people who were questioning it are saying he has to go to the England squad.

“Garnacho: what is the manager doing? What is the staff doing? Similar. They need time.

“Omari came on and it’s not easy. We didn’t play our best game but he plays a reasonable game and showed that he can be a player for the future.

“On Antony, I backed him for a long time. I know his abilities. I know from the past he is unstoppable. He’s one of the quickest in the first 10 yards.

“He is resilient, he’s a character and he will fight back and I back him.”