“Disrespected his country”, “He is coming back” - Fans in disbelief as Manchester United star Onana lands in controversy at AFCON
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana has been embroiled in another controversy with the Cameroon national team at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d'Ivoire. The former Ajax shot-stopper reached his national team camp earlier today (Monday, January 15) but was left out of his country's squad for their opener against Guinea.
Onana and Cameroon head coach Rigobert Song had a falling out at the 2022 FIFA World Cup over tactics which led to the goalkeeper announcing his retirement. However, Onana reversed his decision and returned to the national team last September. He was subsequently selected to represent his country at AFCON.
However, Manchester United wanted to keep the shot-stopper for as long as possible. Erik ten Hag announced that the club had agreed with the Cameroonian Football Federation that Onana would be available for their Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, January 14.
The Dutch manager named the goalkeeper in his starting XI for the clash against Spurs at Old Trafford, which ended 2-2.
Onana's arrival in Cote d'Ivoire was delayed to inclement weather and he reportedly had to complete the last leg of his journey from Abidjan to Yamoussoukro via car.
Having reached the venue in time for the encounter, Onana was disappointed to find out that he had been excluded from the squad for Cameroon's season opener. Senegalese legend El Hadji Diouf had to intervene to calm the goalkeeper down.
According to journalist Micky Jnr, Onana said:
"If I wasn’t going to play or make the team, then why did I come here on a private jet.”
Fans on X gave their opinions about the situation. One fan said:
"If I were the coach he won't even play a single game throughout this tournament. He disrespected his country."
Another wrote:
"I am sure he is coming back before the next Manchester United game."
See more reactions from fans on X below:
Cameroon held to 1-1 draw by Guinea in AFCON opener as Andre Onana fails to make the squad
Cameroon played out a 1-1 draw with Guinea in their AFCON opener despite their opponents playing an entire half with 10 men. Mohamed Bayo, who represents Ligue 1 club Le Havre in club football, scored the opener for Guinea in the 10th minute.
Guinea suffered a setback in first-half stoppage time as forward Francois Komano was sent off. Cameroon equalized quickly after the restart against 10-men Guinea as Frank Magri found the back of the net in the 51st minute. Despite controlling the majority of possession, they were unable to make their advantage count and had to settle for a draw.
The 2017 champions will face reigning champions Senegal in their next group match on Friday, January 19. It will be interesting to see if Andre Onana features in their upcoming clash.