Samuel Eto’o calls for ‘respect’ for Ian Wright after highlighting AFCON ‘racism’
Samuel Eto’o has backed Ian Wright and his claims that the Africa Cup of Nations is being “disrespected” and that media coverage of the tournament is “tinged with racism”.
The former Arsenal striker has taken to social media to vent his frustration about the January tournament. The 24-team competition begins on January 9 and will feature a host of Premier League stars. Liverpool trio of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita are all expected to feature in Cameroon.
However, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been continually quizzed over their availability for the tournament. And the Anfield club have been in deep discussions with the Egyptian FA over delaying Salah’s departure.
According to Wright, the tournament has been massively frowned upon. And Wight goes further by saying the coverage has been blighted by “racism”.
“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.
“There are players getting asked if they will be honouring the call-ups to their national teams. Imagine if that was an England player representing the Three Lions. Can you imagine the furore?”
And now legendary Cameroon striker Eto’s has come out in support of Wright and called for “respect” for the pundit.
Respect @IanWright0 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. pic.twitter.com/HpvekGwBdH
— Samuel Eto’o (@SamuelEtoo) December 30, 2021
Vieira respects AFCON
A number of Premier League teams will have stars flying off to the event next month. Crystal Palace will lose Cheikhou Kouyate, Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew, but Patrick Vieira has no problem with the tournament.
“I respect and understand the passion and the importance to players to go and represent their country. So I will never stop any player going to play the Africa Cup of Nations,” said Palace boss Vieira.
“I believe that competition needs to be more respected – because this competition is as important as the European Championships.”
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