Arsenal legend Ian Wright has expressed his displeasure with how the Africa Cup of Nations is being disrespected, saying the coverage has been "tinged with racism".
Read: EPL Club To Block Nigeria Star From AFCON?
There has been some criticism with regards to the timing of the upcoming AFCON, with a number of European clubs set to lose some of their key players for a month from 3 January.
Wright has questioned why the tournament is being criticised as much as it has when the UEFA European Championship was played in 11 cities across Europe during the pandemic.
"Is there ever a tournament more disrespected than the Africa Cup of Nations? There is no great honour, none other than representing your country. The coverage is completely tinged with racism," Wright said on his TikTok page.
"We played our Euros across 10 countries in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and no issues. Cameroon, a single country hosting the tournament is a problem.
"Imagine a journalist asking players if they will be honouring the call-ups for their national teams. Have you ever heard anyone asking Three Lion players if they ever honour a call-up?
"Some of the best players in Europe right now are Africans. If we love them at our clubs, why not love them at their national teams across the globe?
"Why is this tournament constantly getting so much flak? Shout-outs to countries that have qualified and players like Sebastien Haller who has taken a stand against the media backlash, plus Patrick Vieira.
"Vieira coming out and speak about it. And being a black manager, people can understand where his roots are and how important this tournament is to African people. This shame has gone on for too long.
"That's why I wish Cameroon all success in hosting this tournament and like I said to the players, all the very best and the fans."
Here are the 10 highest-ranked African nations in FIFA's latest rankings:
