Cameroon coach makes bizarre admission on FIFA Series subs after loss to Socceroos
Cameroon coach David Pagou has admitted he wasn't aware of how many substitutions he was allowed to make during his side's 1-0 friendly loss to the Socceroos.
The friendly is part of the FIFA Series and a new rule was recently made by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) that increased the number of substitutions allowed for friendly matches to eight.
Under the laws, both teams can increase to 11 if both teams agree.
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Cameroon lacked all attacking intent in the second half compared to their first, and much of that would've been to do with only three substitutions being made.
Cameroon head coach David Pagou. FIFA via Getty Images
On the flip side, the Socceroos made eight, though Pagou may have had his calculations wrong when asked about the difference between his side's halves.
"They made 10 substitutions. We don't know that because the regulations say that there are only five substitutes," Pagou told reporters in broken English in his post-match press conference.
The coach was asked to clarify if he didn't know the regulations or just only wanted to make three changes.
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According to him, the regulations said five substitutions.
"We look at the regulations and tell them that we have to make five substitutions," he said.
"... So we make only three substitutions because we have a next match.
"You have two teams because we want all our players to play enough minutes so that's why we only make three substitutions. We want to make 11 play all the matches, then in the second match you have another 11 who play all the match, because you have 25 players."
Pagou also thought a newcomer on the field had scored, but it was in fact Jordan Bos, who started the match.
He added the "politics" of his side is to play two teams across both friendlies.
"We do only three substitutions. That's not enough because our players are tired and then our politics is to make two teams," he said.
"That's why we had them continue the match. But before, we know that there is only five substitutions (allowed). So we did not prepare the other players in the squad."
