Jamie Carragher has backtracked on the comments he made regarding the significance of the Africa Cup of Nations.
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The former central defender's remarks about the continental competition arose when discussing Mohamed Salah's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or. During a discussion after Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Newcastle United, the 47-year-old downplayed the significance of AFCON when considering accolades that contribute to winning the illustrious Golden Ball.
The Liverpool native's comments were seen as offensive by many from the continent, but during the first matchday of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 earlier this week, Carragher clarified his statements.
"What I would say is you know me better than anyone on this show, and I've got very strong opinions on the game. I love debate, and that will never change.
"But what I never want to be described as, as a pundit, would be ignorant or disrespectful, so that was never my aim, whether that's to a club, a player, a country, a continent, an international tournament—whatever that may be.
"What I would say is, 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 felt, or feel, that not just AFCON, but the Asian Games or Gold Cup—not so much the Copa América—but there are five more competitions out there besides the World Cup that are, for their continent, a major tournament.
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"Some of them don't resonate with people who vote for the Ballon d'Or, and that was not an opinion—that was a fact in terms of looking at who won the Ballon d'Or over the last 40 or 50 years."
