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Goalkeeper Andre Onana has announced his retirement from the Cameroon national team after falling out with coach Rigobert Song at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Onana was sent home with Song saying he was forced to take the decision owing to a disciplinary breach by the Inter Milan goalkeeper.
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Onana only played one game in Qatar, featuring in the 1-0 loss against Switzerland after which he was exiled from the team with Devis Epassy playing in the 3-3 draw against Serbia and in the famous 1-0 win over Brazil.
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Onana’s statement
The 26-year-old was unhappy with what transpired in Qatar and claims he was misunderstood in a statement which announced his retirement from the Indomitable Lions.
Onana released a statement via his official social media which read, "Every story, however beautiful it may be, always has its end. And my story with the Cameroon national team has reached this point. Players come and go, but Cameroon always comes before any person or player,"
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"Cameroon will always remain the same as my love for the national team shirt and for our people who have always supported us regardless of the difficulties.
"My feelings have not changed. My Cameroonian heart will keep beating and wherever it goes it will fight to always raise the flag of Cameroon as high as possible.
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"I will continue to support Cameroon as a fan, just like 27 million Cameroonians do at every game. I can only thank all those who trusted me and believed that I could contribute to the team."
Onana’s feud with Rigobert Song
News of the falling out between Onana and his national team manager, Rigobert Song broke just before the country’s second 2022 World Cup group stage game against Serbia.
The details of the disagreement between the pair remain unclear but it was reported that they didn’t see eye to eye on the style of play.
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Song was said to be unhappy with Onana’s modern goalkeeping style while the goalkeeper didn’t appreciate the coach’s pragmatism.
It led to Onana being banished from the squad and leaving Qatar mid-World Cup and has now developed into full-blown retirement from the national team.
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There’s still hope that Onana could play for the Indomitable Lions in the future though as he’s still only 26 years old.