Song’s ‘madness’ not to blame for Lions’ lack of heart

CAMEROON BECAME the first African team to exit the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil, and they deserved to, but problem is they went down with the whole continent. The whole team deserved what they got, but mostly midfielder Alexander Song, who ‘deliberately’ had himself sent off for a blatant elbow in the back of Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic, who went on to score twice in the second half against the ten-man Cameroon. And to make matters even worse for the African team, defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto let his frustration get the better of him as he head-butted his team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo in the closing stages of the 4-0 defeat. These two incidents painted a bad picture of African players. The Indomitable Lions were once famed for their big heart when it comes to big tournaments, but that is no longer the case given the nature of their performances in the last two World Cup finals—2010 in South Africa and now in Brazil. Their campaign in Brazil was doomed even before a ball was kicked. First, the team, led by their captain Samuel Eto’o threatened not to board the plane unless they got assurance regarding their bonuses. And when the tournament kicked off, their performance in defeats against Mexico in the first match and Croatia on Wednesday night, told a story of a team that wasn’t bothered by the responsibility in-front of them. The Lions, who play their final group game against hosts Brazil on Sunday, were lucky not to be the first team to exit the tournament altogether, thanks to Australia and dethroned champions Spain. Song should know better that you can’t do something like he did and get away with it, especially when the referee is a few meters away and with a clear view of the crime scene. Nonetheless, the Barcelona midfielder’s madness was just part of the bigger Cameroon, and not the main cause for their shortcomings.

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Song’s ‘madness’ not to blame for Lions’ lack of heart