REVEALED: England v Cameroon ref TWICE overruled VAR advice on horror tackles to stop the African side from walking off… and FIFA back her decisions over fears that the game would spiral out of control!
- Cameroon’s players came close to walking off against England on Sunday
- They protested against a series of decisions made by the video assistant referee
- To stop a walk-off happening referee Qin Liang decided to overrule VAR
- FIFA said that it will deal strongly with Cameroon over their disgraceful actions
- Players made serious fouls on England stars and one spat at an opponent
The referee of England’s hugely controversial last-16 World Cup victory twice overruled VAR to stop Cameroon players from walking off in protest, according to reports.
Referee Qin Liang was reportedly worried that the Cameroon players would stop playing when she decided against listening to VAR’s advice over Fran Kirby’s penalty appeal and Alexandra Takounda’s tackle on Steph Houghton that could have resulted in a red card.
FIFA has said it will deal strongly with Cameroon over their disgraceful behaviour during the game, with retrospective bans possible for those who spat at and stamped on Phil Neville’s players.
Referee Qin Liang was worried Cameroon’s players would walk off the pitch against England
FIFA found Qin’s officiating to have been fair, despite all the protests from Cameroon players
The referee was accused of not being able to control the players during the World Cup match
Cameroon continued throughout Sunday’s game to protest against the referee’s decisions
Augustine Ejangue spat on England’s Toni Duggan before the Cameroon players threatened to leave the pitch.
Houghton went down after a studs-up challenge from Takounda. The England captain was left in pain on the sideline and is struggling to be fit for Thursday’s quarter-final against Norway.
England winger Nikita Parris also came on the receiving end of Cameroon’s aggressive approach.
Yvonne Leuko caught Parris in the face with a high elbow but somehow avoided being sent off.
England’s Steph Houghton was left in pain after a crunching tackle by Alexandra Takounda
Houghton was caught high on her right foot before going to ground in Valenciennes
Cameroon’s Yvonne Leuko was lucky not to be sent off for an elbow on Nikita Parris
Augustine Ejangue appeared to spit on England’s Toni Duggan during the last-16 tie
Duggan could be seen pointing to her arm where it landed during the early exchanges
The Telegraph reports that the governing body has, however, backed Liang’s controversial decisions.
Sportsmail also revealed that Cameroon claimed that they were victims of racism, with players shouting ‘it’s a white World Cup’ in the tunnel after the game. FIFA, whose investigations may not conclude for a few days, are taking a dim view of that.
Sanctions could involve a points deduction that would impact on the country’s potential to qualify for the next World Cup.
Cameroon’s players also claimed that the tournament in France was a ‘white World Cup’