AFCON 2021: Arsenal legend slams 'racist' tournament coverage

Ian Wright criticized the media for not giving the continental tournament its deserved respect.

Africa Cup of Nations is only a few weeks away, with several clubs sending their African internationals to the tournament. The players will leave their clubs at a crucial point of the season while the pandemic has limited the clubs’ ability to sign replacements.

The situation has led to controversy as some clubs have expressed their frustration over the call-ups. Following Victor Osimhen’s call-up to Nigeria, Napoli have gone as far as to threaten legal action against the Super Eagles.

Recently, reporters have questioned the players whether they will accept their national team call ups.

Ajax star Sebastian Haller criticized the media’s attitude toward the tournament when a reporter asked whether he will travel to Cameroon.

Sebastian Haller, when asked by a reporter if he would prefer to stay with Ajax or play the African Cup of Nations?:

“This question shows a lack of respect for Africa… Would this question be asked to a European player before the EUROs?” 👊🇨🇮 pic.twitter.com/y96heIhsqt
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) December 29, 2021

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has spoken out on how the media treats AFCON differently than European tournaments.

“Is there ever a tournament more disrespected than the Africa Cup of Nations,” Wright said on Instagram.

“There is no greater honour than representing your country. The coverage is completely tinged with racism.

“We played our Euros across 10 countries in the middle of a pandemic and there’s no issue at all. But Cameroon, a single country hosting a tournament, is a problem.”

He added: “You are getting journalists asking players … players getting asked if they will be honouring the call-ups to their national teams. Imagine if that was an English player representing the Three Lions. Can you imagine the furore?”

Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o, who has recently become the president of the Cameroon FA, reacted to Wright’s comments on Twitter.

He wrote: “Respect Ian Wright! There’s no greater honour for a sportsperson than representing your country.

“The Africa Cup of Nations is a celebration of African pride, and next week’s AFCON will once more prove the undeniable greatness of African Players.”