The pundit’s scathing comments about Africa’s premier international tournament may have had some truth to them.
Jamie Carragher is one of football media’s most polarising figures. A heavily opinionated character who never shies away from voicing his opinion on all aspects of the beautiful game.
One of his most infamous comments came in February 2025, when he dismissed the Africa Cup of Nations as a major tournament, suggesting it didn’t have the same prestige as the Euros or Copa America.
After the Confederation of African Football’s controversial decision, was he actually right?
Rant Sport’s Wanga Charma examines his statements in light of the unprecedented result of AFCON 2026.
AFCON 25/26
Carragher, rightfully so, received an incredible amount of backlash for his distasteful and ignorant comments. The pundit was lambasted by footballing fans online for weeks on end.
To add insult to his injury, the latest tournament in 25/26 was one of the most enjoyable in recent memory, smashing its previous viewership records as Senegal were crowned African Kings for a second time in a 1-0 victory over Morocco.
There were multiple controversies that plagued the final, most notably when the Senegalese players briefly left the pitch in protest and returned.
Still, it was a beautiful tournament and a huge win for pan-African football.
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CAF’s contentious announcement
But nothing good lasts forever, and the CAF took that literally. Less than 3 months after AFCON concluded, CAF has overturned Senegal’s win and awarded the victory to Morocco.
They cited the incident in which Senegalese players left the pitch as the reason behind this, as they violated regulations and technically forfeited the game.
This single action has already irreparably damaged the credibility and image of African football, sparking outrage among many within the footballing community, and even prompting the Senegalese Football Federation to take legal action.
Within this chaos, the one man who seems vindicated by all of this is none other than Jamie Carragher. Hours after the announcement was made, he took to social media to post a cheeky photo of Leonardo DiCaprio looking smug.
Essentially saying, “See? I told you so”.
Carragher’s previous comments were tasteless and crude. That is undeniable.
Still, one cannot help but think that there might now be an element of truth to his words.
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