Cameroon and Bayern Munich forward, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, has slammed his coach, Toni Conceicao, for not giving him the respect he deserves as a player.
Speaking to the press, he said he felt disrespected when he was an unused substitute for the quarter-final and semi-final despite playing in the Indomitable Lions’ first four games at the tournament.
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According to him, he was always ready to play for his country and would respect the decision of his coach while explaining he was not fit to play in the third-place game against Burkina Faso.
“Especially what happened in the quarter-final and semi-final when the coach didn’t count on me for me it was a kind of disrespect,” the former Paris Saint-Germain player said after the game.
“I came here to help the team to win the Afcon. I am not a young 18-year-old player and I want to play and to give everything.
“At the end of the day I respect every decision from the coach, you have to as he is the boss but you don’t have to understand it – so I don’t understand.
“This is the reason I told him I was not fit to play today. But I will always be happy to represent Cameroon. It was just difficult.
“We played 120 minutes in the semi-finals and he didn’t even bring me on,” said the striker. “For me, that’s a lack of respect. I had to tell the coach the truth. I’m very disappointed and very frustrated. I couldn’t play, but I was 100% with the team, he said.
Meanwhile, Conceicao has said he didn’t use the forward because he did not fit in with his tactical plan as he was making his substitutions.
He was originally listed as the captain of the team by the Cameroon Football Federation for the third-placed play-off against Burkina Faso but when the team sheet were announced he was not even among the substitutes.
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