Onana affair: Samuel Eto'o finally breaks his silence
Samuel Eto'o speaks about "the André Onana affair". The Fécafoot president leaves it to Song to decide whether Onana returns or not
Sport News Africa · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
This is the first time since the end of the World Cup (November-December 2022) in Qatar that Samuel Eto’o has spoken in public about the exclusion of Cameroon goalkeeper André Onana. On Saturday 27 May 2023, in front of the Fécafoot General Assembly, the former Indomitable Lions captain addressed the controversy currently surrounding the Inter Milan goalkeeper. Eto'o believes the matter should have stayed private within the squad and expressed his disappointment at the excessive media coverage.
Read more on the same subject: Onana, Song, Eto’o, World Cup 2022: Vincent Aboubakar tells all
“It's not unusual for a player to adopt an attitude or say things he doesn't really mean. It can happen, and it does happen, according to Eto’o. It can also happen that this young man is sanctioned by the boss of the team, who is the manager-coach. That's how things work in a dressing room”. The Fécafoot president indeed thinks the affair “should have remained within the privacy of the group”. However, he claims, “some people saw an opportunity and made an affair out of it; they created the André Onana affair”.
Onana's return depends on Song
Samuel Eto'o stressed the importance of rules and discipline within a sporting group. In his view, a team without rules or discipline is doomed to fail. He also insisted on the responsibility of the technical staff, saying a coach without authority is not a true leader. Furthermore, the former Barcelona player believes a national team can only function effectively if it has clear leadership, with no confusion over the decisions to be made. That is why he had no choice but to back head coach Rigobert Song in this crisis.
“A provisional sanction was imposed on the player, he said. The Federation president followed the staff's decision. The case was referred to the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, as our Statutes stipulate”. Finally, Eto’o ruled, “André Onana's return to the national team depends exclusively on the manager-coach. He and he alone decides which players are selected”. For the record, André Onana retired from international football in the wake of the 2022 World Cup. Since then, the Cameroonian government has been in contact with his club, Inter Milan, with a view to a possible return to the national team.
Arthur Wandji