Joey Barton backs Jamie Carragher’s ‘AFCON isn’t a major tournament’ claim 

Joey Barton, former England international, says the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is not a major tournament.

Barton spoke in a video on Tuesday while reacting to the backlash received by Jamie Carragher, former Liverpool defender, for making similar claim.

Carragher, a TV football analyst, was fiercely criticised on social media after saying AFCON is not a major tournament and the competition will not help Mohammed Salah’s quest as a frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or this year.

“I think the problem [with him being recognised as a frontrunner for the Ballon d’Or] is that he’s with Egypt, and he’s probably not playing in a major tournament or has a great chance of winning,” The SkySports pundit said.

Carragher’s comment earned pushback from footballers and ex-footballers, including Rio Ferdinand, Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge.

However, Barton defended the stance of his fellow Englishman in the ongoing debate, stating that AFCON is not on the same level as similar continental tournaments in Europe, South America, and the World Cup.

Barton claimed that the quality of pitches, attendance and bribery allegations overshadowed the quality of the tournament.

“The Africa Cup of Nations isn’t a major championship. Copa América, the European Championship, and the World Cup are your major international tournaments. Unfortunately, AFCON isn’t one of them,” he stated.

“Don’t get me started on the quality of pitches and some of the attendances, but also the accusations of bribery over the years.

“Apart from the African countries, it doesn’t capture the world’s imagination like some of the other major tournaments do.

“And people forget that in 2010, the Togo team bus was attacked, and I think Emmanuel Adebayor was on it. Sadly, some people lost their lives. These are things you just don’t see at major tournaments.

“The biggest one for me was in 2021-22 when a referee, who must have bought his watch from a street vendor, stopped a game in the 85th minute, restarted it, then stopped it again at the 89th minute — well short of the allotted time — and then tried to get the players back on the pitch. It was Tunisia on that occasion. You just don’t see things like that at major championships.
“You’ve also had Ebola outbreaks, like when Morocco pulled out in 2015. There was also fan violence that year, causing a game to be abandoned and restarted later.

AFCON is the flagship football tournament for African nations, and the 35th edition is set for Morocco from December 21 to January 18, 2026.

Liberia’s George Weah, who won the Ballon d’Or in 1995, remains the only African player to have participated in the tournament and won the individual honour. The former AC Milan star won it a year before the AFCON tournament.