Rigobert Song, the coach of Cameroon, has been videotaped discussing the decision to leave goalkeeper Andre Onana of Inter Milan out of the World Cup squad.
Song was shown on a leaked video explaining how Onana sobbed and ignored him before he was kicked out of the World Cup training camp.
According to reports, Song and Onana got into a “blazing row” during their time in Qatar because they had different approaches to goalkeeping. The Song was reportedly upset that Onana, his No. 1 keeper, took too many risks with his feet.
“I told Onana I needed to talk to him the day of the Serbia game, and he started crying,” Song stated in the video.
“I told him, ‘I don’t have time to discuss these issues. I called you yesterday, and you didn’t talk to me. I had chats with Aboubakar, Choupo-Moting and Anguissa, who are the most representative players in the team; why shouldn’t I talk to you?’
“Onana puts on a show in training but takes too many risks during games. I told him repeatedly, ‘You should take no risks. Pass the ball wide, not in the middle’.
“He told me, ‘I am playing; I don’t have time to talk to you’. When he was at the hotel, he didn’t talk to me, but went to President Samuel [Eto’o], and he sent him I don’t know where.”
Song later explained that his choice to have him return home was for the good of the squad, considering that his honour in Cameroon had been damaged.