Cameroonian national team head coach Rigobert Song has revealed that Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana was very emotional upon being told that he had lost his place in the team at the World Cup.
Speaking in a video recorded on the Twitter account of Cameroonian news outlet La Taniere, the coach was recorded explaining the scenario that had led to the 26-year-old Nerazzurri player being dropped from the team, and the player’s reaction upon being told the reason for being left out.
Onana started for Cameroon in their opening loss to Switzerland at the World Cup, as he had been roundly expected to as his national team’s first-choice keeper.
However, the 26-year-old was a shock exclusion for their second group stage match against Serbia.
Reports emerged that tactical disagreements between Onana and his coaching staff were at the root of his being left out.
Song’s words seem to confirm this, whilst the coach also spoke about the reaction of the player, who he claims cried when informed of his exclusion.
Song recalled that “I went to the President and then I told the player that I didn’t want him in the team, at which point he exploded into tears.”
“Onana came to see me, it was the day before the Serbia match.”
“I answered him: ‘Piccolo, I don’t have time, I’m getting the guys ready.”
“If you wanted to talk to me, you should have come earlier,” he went on.
“Yesterday it was I who called you, you didn’t come,” Song related, of his conversation with Onana.
“There is, however, a problem,” the coach went on, “Onana then trains, does his one-man show, plays with his feet.”
The coach explained that “I called him and said: ‘My boy, this is to risky.'”
“Play the ball on the side,” the coach related his tactical instruction to Onana. “It’s less risky to play on the side because if you lose the ball you can get back in your goal quicker.”
