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A lot has been made from Andre Onana’s delayed departure to the African Cup of Nations.
The goalkeeper has been each criticised and praised for his choice to delay his departure so he may assist his membership, Manchester United, within the FA Cup tie in opposition to Wigan and the essential Premier League conflict with Tottenham final Sunday.
Nevertheless, the drama didn’t finish there for Onana, as his flight was delayed and he solely arrived at his crew’s coaching camp hours earlier than their opening match.
In consequence, the Cameroonian keeper was not noted of the sport and didn’t play till yesterday’s disappointing 3-1 loss in opposition to Senegal the place he didn’t cowl himself with glory both by flapping at a nook that resulted in his aspect going 1-0 down.
There was clearly intention on the participant’s half to participate within the opener as The Athletic have revealed United paid round $100,000 for the non-public jet that took him to the Ivory Coast.
Commenting on the Pink Devils’ keeper’s delayed flight, The Athletic states that “there may be a lot declare and counterclaim as to why he was not noted of the aspect that drew 1-1 with Guinea on Monday night that it’s troublesome to know which info to comply with. However there isn’t a doubt that the logistical schedule to get him to this event didn’t go to plan”.
“Onana had been slated to land at an airport in Yamoussoukro, the inland Ivorian capital the place the Group C sport was being held. As an alternative, he went to Abidjan, 233km (144 miles) away on the coast. Representatives of the participant recommend this was due to fog within the centre of the nation”.
The Athletic corroborates Onana’s aspect of occasions by claiming that they needed to drive to Yamoussoukro by highway on Monday and there was “a skinny layer of mist lifted from the canopies of the area’s forests as the warmth of the day started to chop by means of the environment”. Therefore, making it very seemingly that air journey would have been unsafe.
After the demoralising draw with Guinea, Rigobert Music, the Cameroon supervisor, “urged it had been unattainable for Onana to play that day, and that he was utilizing ‘logic’ in saying so.
Music requested, ‘How are you going to arrive at 4am and play at 5pm?’. In reality, Onana was not meant to reach at Yamoussoukro’s tiny regional airport, the place planes want particular permits to land, till 6am on the earliest”.
The crux of the controversy is why Music continued to insist the participant may have arrived earlier.
“Yamoussoukro is a three-hour drive from Abidjan, relying on the depth of the visitors. Reporters in Cameroon imagine Onana didn’t arrive on the crew lodge within the capital till noon on Monday — simply 5 hours earlier than kick-off”.
Subsequently, why did Music recommend the unattainable time of 4am as an arrival? Because the article places it, Onana was not flying on Concorde.
Both the supervisor has been “given the unsuitable info in relation to the planning of the journey, or he has been misled about its execution”.
“Does that imply Music was not relying on Onana, whatever the late rush to get him again to Africa? And if Music was conscious of those preparations, why did he make him board the aircraft on Sunday night time within the first place, when the participant may have travelled in a while a schedule that improved the possibilities of him turning up in a more energizing frame of mind?”.
Clearly, “the participant, the supervisor and the nation’s soccer federation don’t appear to be on the identical web page about what actually occurred”.
In one other potential supply of battle for the longer term, Onana didn’t appear overly impressed by his non-selection for the match and claimed, “I’ve a variety of issues to say, however I received’t say it right here as a result of we’re in competitors. “A very powerful factor is sacred union. We’re right here to win AFCON 2023”.
Onana’s camp have additionally denied that he needed to forcibly calmed down by the previous Senegalese striker, El Hadji Diouf, on the Charles Konan Banny stadium after discovering that he could be omitted from the squad.
Music has a status as a “disciplinarian, bringing some old-school values to the nationwide set-up”, Consequently there have been clashes with established stars who had been banished from the squad regardless of their historical past with the nation.
If Onana and Cameroon do go on to get eradicated by failing to beat Gambia, anticipate extra pressure effervescent beneath to be launched, as there’s something clearly not working within the Cameroonian footballing federation and definitely not between goalkeeper and coach.
