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Arsenal and England legendary striker, Ian Wright, attacked several members of the media as well as clubs for their handling of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Despite efforts from several external parties, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will start next Sunday 9 December, in Cameroon.
The European Club Association (ECA) had sent a letter to FIFA in which they explained why they’re reluctant to send their players to compete in AFCON, with their main concern being the lack of a suitable medical and operational protocol in the tournament.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino even backed the idea of postponing the tournament, believing it would be better if the AFCON is played in September.
Some clubs even took action and have denied their players to participate in the tournament, namely Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis.
READ: Egypt AFCON group: Major changes in Nigeria squad
Wright criticized these entities for trying to prevent players from representing their country and said that these talks wouldn’t have taken place if they were talking about the Euros.
“Is there ever a tournament more disrespected than the Africa Cup of Nations?” he told Sky Sports.
“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.
“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?
“Loads of the best players in Europe right now are African,” noted the 58-year-old, who made 33 appearances for England.
“If we love them at club level why can’t we love them at international level like their counterparts across the globe? Why is this tournament constantly getting so much flak?” he concluded.
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