Cameroon goalkeeper left the team in the middle of the World Cup in Qatar due to fights with the coach
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Andre Onana fought with the coach because he wanted to play in the area and not clear the ball. The goalkeeper parted ways with the Cameroon team and will travel back to Italy
The Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana has been removed from his team after his coach, Rigobert Song, urged him to change his style of play on Saturday, something to which the current Inter Milan goalkeeper refused and for that reason he has left the concentration of the African team.
Presumably Onana did not want to adopt Song's style by clearing all the balls to midfield and wanted to go out touching the ball with the central defenders, a style that the coach did not share and generated strong differences between the two.
Andre Onana has been removed from Cameroon’s squad. Been told that the reason is a discussion with head coach as he insisted for different style of goalkeeping, more ‘traditional’ 🇨🇲 #Qatar2022
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 28, 2022
Onana has no intention to change his style — tense situation & so he’s been excluded. pic.twitter.com/UuoFp3WdLz
Cameroon's line-up was surprised by not seeing Onana either in the starting eleven, which included Devis Epassy, ​​or on the bench after starting the World Cup in Qatar as the starting goalkeeper.
However, on Saturday, after the defeat against Switzerland (1-0), there was an exchange of opinions between the goalkeeper and his coach, who asked him to change his style of play and risk less in the starts and with the ball in the feet.
This was not accepted by Onana and, seeing himself as a substitute, both parties decided that he should leave the concentration. A discussion in which the president of the Cameroon Football Federation, Samuel Eto'o, who names the academy from which Onana came, chose to support his coach.
A situation that has Onana in a “state of shock”, as he says goodbye after a game to his dream of playing in a World Cup.
André Onana has decided to leave the World Cup with permanent effect and he will not be back, confirmed. â›”ï¸ðŸ‡¨ðŸ‡² #Qatar2022 https://t.co/0LH0CYZsr3
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 28, 2022
Despite not having their goalkeeper, Cameroon got a valuable 3-3 draw against Serbia after trailing 1-3 in the second half, but with two goals in 3 minutes they leveled the score to add their first point.
Cameroon will face Brazil on the last day of the group stage to seek a place in the round of 16. For its part, Serbia also got its first point and will face Switzerland at the close of the third date.