John Mikel Obi has launched a blistering attack on Jamie Carragher after the Sky Sports pundit dismissed the Africa Cup of Nations as not being a “major tournament.”
The former Chelsea and Nigeria captain didn’t hold back on his podcast, unleashing a profanity-laden tirade directed at Carragher’s “disrespectful” and “arrogant” comments about Africa’s premier football competition.
“It’s so disrespectful what he said, and this is coming from someone who never won any major international competition with England,” Mikel fumed on The Obi One Podcast.
The controversy erupted after Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday, when Carragher suggested Mohamed Salah’s Egyptian nationality might hurt his Ballon d’Or chances because he doesn’t play “in the major tournament as such.”
“I think it’s either the Champions League or the major tournament,” Carragher said, implying AFCON didn’t qualify as one.
His fellow pundit Micah Richards immediately attempted to correct him, stating: “Just to say, AFCON is a major tournament because a lot of people are at home saying ‘they aren’t taking it seriously’.
AFCON is a big tournament just so you know.”
But the damage was done, and Mikel – who won AFCON with Nigeria in 2013 – was incensed by what he perceived as arrogance and cultural disrespect.
“The smirk on his face, the arrogant f***ing smirk on his face to dismiss… That smirk on his face is absolutely what tipped me off,” Mikel continued.
“You have people trying to correct you and you’re coming out and attacking absolutely everyone else and discrediting this wonderful tournament.”
Mikel also questioned Carragher’s credentials as a pundit given his own trophy cabinet.
“The guy says so many things on TV, never won the Premier League, analyses teams and tells them you have to win the Premier League.
You never won it, you don’t know what it takes to win the f***ing Premier League.”
“Africans watch you on the weekend and you sit there, open your mouth and discredit the whole fing African continent, saying your African Nations tournament is s. He can f*** off.
We know in Africa what we bring to the Premier League.”
Mikel concluded his rant by contrasting his own international achievements with Carragher’s: “If you won the Euros with England I might understand that.
You won f*** all with England. And you try to discredit the tournament that I won, shed blood and tears for?”
