Soccer pundit, Jamie Carragher, has addressed grievance over his earlier feedback in regards to the Africa Cup of International locations, which many perceived as dismissive.
The previous Liverpool defender got here underneath fireplace next suggesting that Mohamed Salah’s possibilities of profitable the Ballon d’Or have been thin as a result of he was once no longer competing in a “major tournament,” relating to AFCON.
Talking on a published display next Tuesday’s Champions League, Carragher said that his selection of phrases was once poorly phrased.
“What I would never want to be described as, as a pundit, would be ignorant or disrespectful. That was never my aim, whether that’s to a player, a club, a country, a continent, an international tournament—whatever that may be,” he mentioned.
Carragher defined that his level was once in keeping with ancient traits in Ballon d’Or vote casting instead than a non-public opinion on AFCON’s importance.
“Where I got it wrong was I was clumsy with my language in describing AFCON as not a major tournament. I was trying to explain the merits of Mo Salah winning the Ballon d’Or, and I feel that not just AFCON but also tournaments like the Asia Games and Gold Cup don’t resonate with the people who vote for the award,” he clarified.
He additional famous that Ballon d’Or vote casting has traditionally favoured competitions just like the UEFA Ecu Championship.
“Sometimes we forget that the Ballon d’Or was originally the European Footballer of the Year award,” he mentioned, including that this is able to give an explanation for possible biases in vote casting patterns.
Carragher, who has been a vocal supporter of Salah’s Ballon d’Or possibilities, said the backlash however emphasized that he didn’t intend to offend somebody.