Reports suggest that Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana contemplated leaving Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations squad following a dispute with Samuel Eto’o this week.
Onana faced criticism for delaying his arrival at AFCON, choosing to play for United in their 2-2 draw with Tottenham on January 14 before flying to the Ivory Coast later that evening.
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Cameroon’s head coach, Rigobert Song, had initially decided not to start Onana in the Group C opener against Guinea.
However, he did not anticipate the goalkeeper arriving just hours before kick-off due to adverse weather conditions diverting his flight.
Although Onana returned to the team for Cameroon’s second group game, he delivered a subpar performance in the 3-1 defeat to reigning AFCON champions Senegal.
In the crucial final group game against Gambia, Onana was relegated to the bench, with Fabrice Ondoa, his cousin, making his second appearance of the tournament.
Cameroon emerged victorious with a 3-2 scoreline, securing their place in the last-16 against Nigeria, scheduled for Saturday evening.
Post-game reports suggested that Onana engaged in a ‘verbal altercation’ with Eto’o, the president of Cameroon’s Football Federation, upon learning about his exclusion from the starting lineup.
According to the Daily Star, Onana initially considered withdrawing from Cameroon’s squad but ultimately set aside personal differences with Eto’o.
The report further states that Onana anticipates being named as a substitute for Cameroon’s upcoming clash with Nigeria.
‘It was Song who decided to change the goalkeepers and put Ondoa back as No.1 following a meeting with players from the team,’ a source close to the Cameroon squad told Sports News Africa about Onana’s row with Eto’o.
‘It was only this morning that he found out he wasn’t playing. He had a verbal altercation with Eto’o but the latter did not respond to him.
‘Onana lost his temper on his own before calming down and remaining in the group to accept his fate.’
