Former Super Eagles players John Mikel Obi and Jay-Jay Okocha have both responded to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher following his disrespectful statement about the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
On Sunday, after Liverpool defeated Manchester City — with Egypt forward Mohamed Salah scoring — Jamie was discussing the possible reasons Salah might struggle to win the Ballon d’Or. He claimed Salah’s inability to win major tournaments like the World Cup, Euros, and Copa America could be a hindrance, dismissing AFCON — one of the biggest tournaments in the football world.
That didn’t sit well with Mikel Obi and Jay-Jay Okocha, both of whom have played in and won AFCON.
“It’s so disrespectful what he said, and this is coming from someone who never won any major international competition with England,” Mikel said.
“His statement was absolutely wrong. I hope he will come out and make a massive apology because he owes people around the world an apology. It was ignorant to disrespect such a wonderful tournament. If you think the Premier League would be what it is today with just English players, you’re f*cking having a laugh, mate.”
Jay-Jay Okocha also took a jab at the former English defender:
“There are some players who will say something, and you just have to overlook them. If you look at their careers and the type of football they played, you can understand. I mean, you wouldn’t want your son to be like Jamie Carragher. So, he can never appreciate African football or the talent that comes from Africa.”
This came a few hours after John Mikel Obi responded to the former Liverpool defender on the same issue:
“There are some players who will say something, and you just have to overlook them. If you look at their careers and the type of football they played, you can understand. I mean, you wouldn’t want your son to be like Jamie Carragher. So, he can never appreciate African football or the talent that comes from Africa.”
Despite representing the Three Lions of England in 38 games over 11 years, the 47-year-old never won any major trophy with England.
In the English Premier League, Carragher is often described as one of the worst defenders to have played in the league, having scored the most own goals (7)—second only to Richard Dunn—compared to the 3 goals he scored for Liverpool in league history.
