FIFA to probe Cameroon's conduct during England defeat

VALENCIENNES, FRANCE - JUNE 23: Referee Liang Qin invites the Cameroon players to play on as they protest after a VAR decision goes against them during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France Round Of 16 match between England and Cameroon at Stade du Hainaut on June 23, 2019 in Valenciennes, France.
Marc Atkins / Getty Images Sport / Getty

World football's governing body, FIFA, said it will investigate Cameroon's behavior following a series of incidents during Sunday's knockout-round defeat to England at the Women's World Cup.

Three refereeing decisions in the 3-0 loss sparked anger from Cameroon, including an incident before the interval when players refused to restart the match, instead huddling together as a form of protest against a goal scored by Lionesses striker Ellen White.

A spokesperson for FIFA told BBC Sport that "further updates will be provided in due course."

FIFA's announcement came after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced its intention to investigate Cameroon's behavior.

"Whilst remaining proud of our African teams that participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup, yesterday's match between England and Cameroon reflected badly, not only on African women's football but African football on the whole," said Isha Johansen, a member of CAF's executive committee.

Other incidents during Sunday's match included England winger Nikita Parris being the victim of a violent elbow and teammate Steph Houghton being caught with a late tackle on the touchline by Cameroon's Alexandra Takounda. Video also surfaced of what appeared to be Cameroon defender Augustine Ejangue spitting on England's Toni Duggan.

"Clearly, when something happens like what happened yesterday, the disappointment that we saw on the pitch, we as Africans felt for Cameroon as a family, as one," Johansen added. "We take the collective blame, but at the same time, without sounding like we are condoning what happened, I think it's all about now actually understanding why it happened.

"These are the issues that I think CAF has got to address and will address, clearly so we can avoid the same mistakes happening."

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