A former Africa Cup of Nations winner pointed out that more than half of the players in Europe's top leagues are of African descent, following the comments made by Jamie Carragher.
Former Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner Ahmed Hassan hit back at the ex-Liverpool defender for his controversial remarks about the continental competition.
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The Egyptian strongly criticised Carragher, labelling his comments as dismissive and disrespectful towards African football.
This comes after Carragher appeared to downplay the significance of AFCON when discussing Mohamed Salah's chances of winning the prestigious Ballon d'Or, suggesting that the tournament does not hold the same weight as the UEFA European Championship or Copa America.
Hassan, a four-time AFCON champion, expressed his disappointment, highlighting the immense impact African players have had on European football.
"I am astonished and deeply disappointed by Jamie Carragher's statements, in which he downplayed AFCON. I believe his remarks are racist and should never have come from a footballer," Hassan said in a statement.
"I would like to remind Carragher that Africa consists of 54 countries, more than the number of countries in Europe. Its landmass exceeds 30 million square kilometres — three times the size of Europe — and its population is approximately 1.5 billion people, nearly twice the population of Europe.
"Additionally, I would like to point out that more than half of the players in Europe's top leagues are of African descent.
"In fact, some of the biggest national teams in Europe have more than half of their squad composed of players of African origin, such as the reigning world champions France, as well as the England national team, which also features several players of African descent."
Hassan also addressed the former defender's criticism of Salah, insisting that external factors beyond sporting merit have hindered the Liverpool star and other African talents from claiming the Ballon d'Or.
"Carragher's constant criticism of Salah is unfair. External interventions, completely unrelated to sporting merit or technical performance, have prevented Salah and other exceptional African stars from winning the Ballon d'Or.
"Rest assured, Salah is on the right path to win it this year and make Africa proud."
The former Egypt star concluded his response by reinforcing the prestige of AFCON, stating that the tournament remains one of the most significant global football events.
"Your statements are of no importance to us, and AFCON will always be a top competition globally, attracting billions of viewers from around the world," Hassan added.
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