Confederations Cup: Cameroon's coach Hugo Broos fumes at referee, organisers

Sochi: Cameroon coach Hugo Broos slammed the decision to send off Ernest Mabouka in Sunday’s 1-3 defeat to Germany as the video assistant referee system again came under scrutiny at the Confederations Cup. Timo Werner netted twice as Germany set up a semifinal clash against Mexico, but Cameroon were seething at the dismissal of Mabouka, who was initially spared after a case of mistaken identity.

The video review system was called upon when Mabouka was sent off on 64 minutes for a dangerous tackle as he went in studs up on Liverpool’s Emre Can. Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan showed Sebastien Siani the red card at first, before his error was rectified and Mabouka received his marching orders instead after intervention from the VAR. The decision left Cameroon reeling and Germany’s Werner scored his first goal just a minute after the dismissal.

“The referee didn’t give any explanation,” fumed Belgian Broos when asked about the bizarre sequence of events. “First of all he gave a red card against Siani, then the video ref called him back and told him it was the wrong player, so Mabouka was sent off. “I think both players (Can and Mabouka) had their legs high, so I don’t see why he had to give a red card. “I think everyone is confused... I didn’t understand it and I still don’t understand it now. I think this is something for the referee, he and he alone can explain what happened in that incident.”

Transport chaos:

Broos also took a swipe at the tournament organisers, demanding team transport at the venues be improved before Russia hosts next year’s World Cup. The Cameroon boss praised the standard of the stadiums in Russia but said heavy traffic hampered training sessions when they played in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. “On three different occasions we had to start our session an hour late, because we were stuck in traffic, even though we had a police escort from the hotel,” said Broos.