Benoit Assou-Ekotto has defended himself after he head-butted Cameroon teammate Benjamin Moukandjo during the 4-0 defeat against Croatia.
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The loss confirmed Cameroon's elimination from the 2014 World Cup and, along with the sending off of midfielder Alex Song, made for a miserable night for Volker Finke's side.
In an interview with L'Equipe, Assou-Ekotto has put the confrontation down to Moukandjo's reluctance to pass and blamed the manner of Cameroon's capitulation for his loss of control.
He said: "It all started with the first match against Mexico [a 1-0 defeat]. Moukandjo was on my flank, he tried to dribble past two opponents and lost the ball.
"I told him he should pass it to me. He replied I was right. The same situation happened against Croatia again. Everyone can make a mistake. But when I told him again, he replied: 'Get off my back!'
"I could not accept his reaction. There was so much frustration in that match. "Now people take me for an idiot. I could not control my temper. If the score was 0-0, it would have not happened.
"When we went back to the changing-room, Samuel Eto'o talked to me, but I was so angry that I didn't admit I was wrong.
"The next day, we met with Moukandjo again during breakfast and we shook hands.
"That kind of thing can happen when a team doesn't work right. I didn't think. Millions of people were watching at the match, and a lot of kids.