Five Famous Players to Be Sent Home From World Cup As Cameroon Goalkeeper Andre Onana Joins List

• Andre Onana has left the 2022 FIFA World Cup after he was sent packing from the Cameroon squad by manager Rigobert Song
• The Inter Milan goalkeeper reportedly fell out with head coach Song after refusing to tweak his style of play between the sticks
• Onana has now joined the list of elite players, including Diego Maradona and Roy Keane, to be sent home from the World Cup

When Cameroon announced the removal of Andre Onana from its World Cup squad, the rest of the world was in shock why such a high-profile player could be sent home.

Cameroon coach Rigobert Song suspended Onana from his squad after saying the goalkeeper asked not to play their second World Cup group against Serbia.

According to the BBC, Cameroon's football federation (Fecafoot) said that following Song's decision, Onana has been temporarily suspended from the group for disciplinary reasons.

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There have been complaints about Song's technical acumen from the Cameroon team, with rumors that the coach and goalie had a disagreement about Onana frequently leaving his box.

The Inter Milan goalie now joins a list of players who have been sent packing from the World Cup. Sports Brief takes a look at the top five players sent home, including Maradona.

Diego Maradona

Although alarming, the revelation that Maradona had failed a drug test was not at all unexpected, Football 365 reports.

After scoring in a 4-0 win over Greece in Argentina’s opening game of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Maradona next took on Nigeria with the South Americans, winning 2-1. However, Maradona left the stage hand-in-hand with a medic who had been tasked with taking his samples.

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Four days later, the party was over, as both analyses of the urine sample proved positive. Maradona therefore had violated the conditions of the doping control regulations of football’s governing body.

Steffan Effenberg

Germany midfielder Steffan Effenberg was also told to pack his bags in 1994, after flipping the bird to 64,000 fans inside the sweltering Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Germany were labouring to a 3-2 win over South Korea when the incident occurred, and coach Berti Vogts had to send the midfielder home, claiming his international career was over. The Germany squad followed Effenberg home not too long after, with Bulgaria defeating Vogts' team in the quarter-finals.

The disgraced player was forced to wait four years for another cap, of which he only received two as he also missed the Euro '96 victory.

Nicolas Anelka

Nicolas Anelka was expelled from France's squad and sent home from South Africa during the FIFA World Cup in 2010, after refusing to apologise for an astonishing verbal attack on coach Raymond Domenech.

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A French Football Federation disciplinary committee instructed Anelka to leave the squad, having convened after an incident at half-time during Les Bleus 2-0 defeat to Mexico.

The former Chelsea forward was apparently criticised by his manager for straying out of position during a goalless first half of the game, which Anelka didn’t take lightly, The Guardian reports.

He instead exploded in rage in the dressing room, verbally abusing the coach, before being substituted before the second half commenced.

Roy Keane

Roy Keane is one of the biggest stars who was sensationally sent home from the World Cup.

The midfielder was sent home from the 2002 FIFA World Cup by the Republic of Ireland, after a dispute with national coach Mick McCarthy over the team's training facilities, Sky Sports reports.

Keane had previously decided to stay with the squad at the last minute, following a bust-up with goalkeeping coach Packie Bonner.

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The ex-Manchester United captain also chose to announce his retirement from international football after the tournament, citing personal problems along with the training conditions as the reasons.

Then Irish boss Mick McCarthy wanted to hold a clear-the-air meeting with the midfielder, but that ended with Keane setting off home.

Nikola Kalinic

Nikola Kalinic was kicked off of Croatia's 2018 World Cup team, but he probably wasn't that upset about it.

Kalinic, who had already played for his country for ten years, was to act as Mario Mandzukic's back-up. However, according to Zlatko Dalic, Kalinic didn't want to replace the star player when Croatia was ahead 2-0 against Nigeria in their opening match.

Croatia, who went on to reach the final, fared just fine without Kalinic when the decision was made to send packing the striker from their camp.

Although Kalinic was still presented a silver medal for Croatia’s feat at the World Cup, the forward had the decency to decline the offer.

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Onana removed from Cameroon's squad

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Cameroon shot-stopper Andre Onana has been removed from his side's squad to face Serbia in their second group game.

Onana was an absolute wall for the Indomitable Lions throughout their Qatar World Cup qualifiers, and continued in a similar fashion in their opening game against Switzerland.

Despite his heroics between the sticks, it proved insignificant as Cameroon were pipped by a solitary Breel Embolo strike in the second half.