![]() In a statement, he said: “I’m very sad at the moment as I feel I have let my country and myself down. Song later apologised for his part in the off-the-ball scuffle with Mandzukic which resulted in the Barca man heading back to the changing rooms ahead of schedule. Since Italia ’90, the African giants haven’t made it out of the group stages in six attempts. ![]() Seasoned World Cup watchers knowingly ticked off their Cameron bingo cards, which included rows over money before a ball is kicked, infighting, catastrophic under-performance, shambolic defending and the obligatory red cards. The incident went unnoticed by the referee, but required intervention from the other Cameroon players, including Eto’o. It was supremely strange, but not entirely out of character for the temperamental defender. “It's unimaginable! I need to find out exactly what happened, why (he) exploded.” /edGTiONrWtĬameroon would lose 4-0 and suffered another odd lashing out near the end of the match when defender Assou-Ekotto angrily head-nudged his own teammate, Benjamin Moukandjo. The red card was both immediate and fitting for what had just happened.Īlex Song had what he would later describe as "a stupid moment" against Croatia #OnThisDay at the 2014 World Cup, and was sent off.Ĭameroon coach Volker Finke could hardly believe his eyes. Referee Pedro Proenca of Portugal was standing right next to Song at the time of his mindless assault. Even rugby enthusiasts would’ve struggled to label Mandzukic’s response as indicative of football’s inherent softness. His opponent collapsed on the floor like a stack of cards in a hurricane. Locking eyes with his target, he performed the impressively flexible task of jutting his elbow into Mandzukic’s spine. ![]() While the Croatia striker left the scene without a second though, the most crimson of mists had descended over Song. As Croatia launched an attack, Song became engaged in some PG-tussling with Mandzukic as both players raced towards the ball. Which somehow makes his dismissal even more baffling. Song was one of the more experienced members of Cameroon’s team alongside Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Joel Matip and a benched Samuel Eto’o who’d taken to coaching the side from the touchline. Having lost their opening match to Mexico, Cameroon were losing 1-0 to Croatia and on the verge of exiting the World Cup after just two matches. But surely the midfielder is sometimes shaken from his slumber to cringe over his actions in Manaus in 2014. His career at the Camp Nou was forgettable, but we’d be surprised if that keeps Song awake at night. I could shop wherever I wanted and have crazy nights out.” “I wanted to rub shoulders with the big boys. “I met Barca’s sporting director, and he told me I would not get to play many games, but I didn’t give a fuck – I knew that now I would become a millionaire. “I felt my wife and children should have comfortable lives once my career is over. “When Barcelona offered me a contract, and I saw how much I would earn, I didn’t think twice,” he admitted on Instagram Live. Song has revealed how he didn’t give a flying one about sitting on the bench at Camp Nou because his 2012 move from Arsenal had made him a millionaire. For reasons even Sigmund Freund wouldn’t have been able to decipher. Which leads us nicely to Alex Song, the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder who chose the World Cup finals to rake his elbow down the back of Mario Mandzukic. In the testosterone-laced environment of the football field, with limbs flying and tempers flaring, it’s no surprise to see even the most placid of individuals misplace their marbles and commit a felony on an opponent. One of football’s greatest pleasures, apart from seeing your mates and last-minute winners, is seeing grown men completely lose their heads.
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