Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry, has given his verdict on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON, tournament, hich was concluded last Sunday.
The former French striker also offered his view on the officiating during the tournament as well as the Senegalese team walking off the pitch during their AFCON final win against Morocco.
“The competition was outstanding, Morocco did a great job in terms of the infrastructure, the stadiums and hotels,” Henry said on CBS Sports Golazo.
“In the final, what you saw, the reaction of the Senegalese team wanting to leave the field was wrong.
“It is not the image you want to give, not only for African football, but for any football. You don’t want to see or do that.
“Do I understand the frustration? Yes. Senegal believe they scored a goal, and then, after the penalty was given, they walked off. That happened quickly.
“Some of the players went inside, Mane called them back, Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, trying to do a Panenka.
“The act isn’t what you want to see. It is nice to see Sadio Mane win it. For me, you don’t want to see the team leave the pitch. The way they went about it was not right, but it should not define how the tournament was conducted.
“The only thing I would say after watching several AFCON tournaments is that the referees are not at the level of the show.
“The things that have happened over time are due to officiating mistakes, and I am not blaming the referee; I blame the people who don’t train them to be at the level of football we are watching.”