Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports, downplayed AFCON’s significance, arguing that it should not be a factor in Mohamed Salah’s Ballon d’Or aspirations. His comments sparked backlash from African football figures, past and present.

Following the criticism, Carragher later clarified his stance on CBS Sports, insisting he did not intend to disrespect the tournament.

However, Kuffour, a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich, believes an apology is necessary.

“Jamie Carragher has to apologise to all African people because AFCON is not a normal tournament,” Kuffour said on Sporty FM. “Africa has given us the best of the best. Africa has produced a Ballon d’Or winner.”

Kuffour also questioned Carragher’s footballing legacy, suggesting that his success at Liverpool was more about his birthplace than his talent.

“What has Jamie Carragher achieved? If he wasn’t born in Liverpool, he would not have had the chance to play for Liverpool,” Kuffour added.

“If we mention the best 2,000 defenders in the world, Jamie Carragher will not be part of them. He’s nothing. He just talks. He should be ashamed of himself.”

Addo, 43-years-old, took over from Chris Hughton on a 34-month contract and has overseen four matches since his return, winning two, drawing one, and losing one.

Addo, who previously coached at Borussia Dortmund, has significantly bolstered Ghana’s prospects of qualifying for the World Cup with consecutive victories over Mali and the Central African Republic.

Kuffuor, speaking to Angel FM, highlighted Addo’s dedication and professionalism, citing his German football background as a key asset in his coaching approach.

“I had the opportunity to play with him, and he was one of my closest pals in the team. I have had the chance to see him up close as a technical person during our qualifiers against Nigeria and during the World Cup.

Kuffuor also noted that Addo occasionally seeks his advice, appreciates the coach’s openness to feedback and always wants the best from his players.

“He is the kind of person who always wants the best. His mentality is different because he comes from Germany. He knows what he wants, so his training sessions and everything are different.

“He sometimes seeks my opinion on issues, and I have been honest with him. It’s a good choice that we brought him back. We should forget about the World Cup and focus on what we want to do, which is qualifying for the World Cup,” he added.

Currently placed second in Group I of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with 9 points, the Black Stars will resume their campaign in March 2025.

He stated emphatically that, the former Black Stars player is “filthy rich”.

Recent reports by Daily Guide suggested that Essien was facing financial challenges, with court orders allegedly targeting two of his properties in East Legon and Trassaco for auction, valued in the millions of dollars.

Court orders sale of Michael Essien’s houses

However, Kuffour dismissed these claims as baseless, emphasizing Essien’s significant assets and financial stability.

In an interview with Angel FM’s Saddick Adams, Kuffour spoke from personal knowledge of Essien’s accomplishments and holdings over the years.

“To bring out the news and say Michael is broke is a shame. It is a shame that we think so negatively about our people. We should be positive; Michael is not broke. We are talking about a house that they took from him, which cost $20 million, and another one that costs $30 million.

He criticized the negative speculations, pointing out that it is not the true reflection of Essien’s financial status.

“Nobody with a proper conscience will come out and say all kinds of things. You never spoke to the person; you never know exactly what the person is going through. So, how can you justify saying someone is broke?

“You would have to know if he comes to your house and begs for food, then you can justify it. I know the kind of assets that Michael has, and I will not stand anywhere and say Michael is broke. Michael is filthy rich,” he added.

Spoke to former Ghana & Bayern Munich defender Sammy Kuffuor. He touched on the recent news concerning Michael Essien

Full interview in this link https://t.co/9NOFTkIYh0 pic.twitter.com/wH6OBkJQO3

— Saddick Adams (@SaddickAdams) June 20, 2024

Essien’s illustrious career spanned clubs like Liberty Professionals, Lyon, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and AC Milan, where he clinched numerous league titles, FA Cups, and the UEFA Champions League in 2012.

Since retiring from active football, Essien has ventured into coaching and currently serves as a first-team assistant coach at FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark.

The former King Faisal central defender’s comment comes after he watched the Super Clash between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday.

Despite failing to keep its best players and attract the best players, Osei Kuffour said he was impressed with the standard of the game and said the standard of the topflight is improving.

“I was really impressed when I watched Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko,” Kuffour, who is a former AS Roma and Bayern Munich defender said in an interview with Kessben FM.

“I never thought the players could perform like they did. The players were good and I was impressed. The performance of Hearts of Oak was good even though they lost but the standard of the Ghana Premier League is getting better,” he added.

Despite taking the lead against Asante Kotoko, Hearts of Oak lost 3-2 to their rivals.

Linda Mtange and Martin Karikari scored the goals for the Phobians while Isaac Oppong and Steven Mukwala scored the goals for the Porcupine Warriors.

Hearts of Oak will hope to return to winning ways when they face Nations FC while Asante Kotoko clash with Great Olympics all in the matchday 15 games.

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The West African country who is four times champions will compete at the 34^th edition of the AFCON in Ivory Coast next year.

The Black Stars who are aiming to win their fifth continental trophy since 1982 has been housed in Group B alongside Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique.

Despite the recent struggle of the team, Osei Kuffour believes the team can pull a surprise by playing in the semifinals of the tournament with proper planning and preparation.

He however cautioned that, should the team even exit at the quarterfinals, the team should build on that for the next AFCON tournament which will be held in Morocco in 2025.

“Ghana can pull a surprise because we get to the tournament, that is where you see Ghanaian players performing so I will not be surprised if we play in the semifinals but even if we exit in the quarterfinals, I will not be surprised and with that, we can plan for the next AFCON,” the former Bayern Munich defender who made 53 appearances for Ghana and scored three goals told Kessben FM.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has been scheduled to kick off from January 13 to February 11.

The Black Stars of Ghana will first come up against Cape Verde at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 14, 2024, then face Egypt at the same venue four days later and then Mozambique at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on January 22, 2024.

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Ghana will open their Group H campaign against the European side on Thursday, November 24, 2022, at Stadium 974 in Doha.

Kuffour, speaking ahead of the clash, said the Black Stars must be worried about the star-studded side.

According to him, the team must play with self-belief and confidence, adding that the Black Stars will be able to beat the Seleção.

“The Black Stars need to control the game and play to our best,” the former Bayern Munich defender told Asempa FM.

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“They should not think about the best players Portugal has. If we focus on one player, they will surprise us.

“They must play collectively as a unit. I know things have changed at the training and I am confident the team will triumph against Portugal,” he added.

The Black Stars, who are making their fourth appearance at the World Cup, will also come up against South Korea and Uruguay.

Ghana will be hoping to put up a decent performance in Qatar after exiting the group phase in 2014 in Brazil. The team also missed out on the last edition hosted in Russia in 2018.