Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana will play no further role at the World Cup after being kicked out of the squad hours before facing Serbia on Monday.
The Inter Milan shot-stopper started his nation’s first group match against Switzerland last week, where a solitary goal from Breel Embolo shortly after half-time decided the contest.
He had been expected to retain his place in the side for the must-win clash against Serbia but was a surprising omission not just from the starting XI but from the entire squad when team news started to filter through.
According to The Athletic, Onana had a falling out with manager Rigobert Song over the weekend and it was ultimately decided that the 26-year-old should leave the World Cup campaign.
Things are believed to have got heated between the pair during a training session on Saturday when Song asked his goalkeeper to change his style of play.
Onana came through the academy at Barcelona and spent years playing in Ajax’s possession-focused team, with play building up from the back via the goalkeeper.
But Song felt that style did not suit Cameroon and asked Onana to go more direct and not take any risks near his own goal, instead wanting to see more ‘traditional’ goalkeeping.
The Inter keeper appears not to have taken too kindly to his manager’s suggestion, with some reports claiming the pair had a rather significant bust-up.
Either way, following the heated conversation Song decided that he would replace Onana in the starting XI with backup keeper Devis Epassy, who only has five previous caps and plays for Saudi Arabian club Abha.
Song also felt it would not be beneficial to have Onana on the bench against Serbia or for the rest of the tournament, with Cameroon facing Brazil in a few days’ time.
As such, Onana has already left Cameroon’s camp and returned home from Qatar and will now link up with the Inter squad, who are having a mini winter training camp with those players who are not involved in the World Cup.
Onana, who has 35 caps for his nation, spent nearly a year on the sidelines due to a drugs ban after testing positive for banned substance Furosemide, which he claimed was a result of taking his wife’s medicine by mistake.
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