Cameroon coach slams refs after loss to England at Women's World Cup

June 24 (UPI) -- Cameroon manager Alain Djeumfa had sharp criticism for referees after his squad was eliminated by England in the round of 16 at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Djeumfa accused the officials of a "miscarriage of justice," following the 3-0 loss to England Sunday at Stade du Hainaut in Valenciennes, France. He cited video replay decisions, but did not agree when asked if he thought the decisions were racially motivated.

"I won't go anything further than that," Djeumfa told reporters. "It's a game, it's a sport. The referee made a lot of mistakes tonight."

Cameroon's shutout loss included a video assistant referee (VAR) decision which resulted in the first goal of the game. England was awarded an indirect free kick which led to Steph Houghton's 13th minute score.

England's second goal also involved VAR, which overturned an offside call and awarded a goal to Ellen White in the fourth minute of first half stoppage time. Djeumfa and Cameroon players protested the call, with the players huddling briefly before tapping off for the ensuing possession.

Ajara Nchout appeared to score at the start of the second half for Cameroon, but that goal was overturned after a VAR review. Cameroon players also showed their frustration with a brief delay after that score.

England manager Phil Neville criticized Cameroon for their behavior during the round of 16 clash.

"I sat through 90 minutes of football there and completely felt ashamed of the opposition," Neville said. "I did not enjoy the game for that reason ... apart from the fact we're in the quarterfinal and have momentum. All those young girls and boys watching the game back in England. We had 5, 6, 7 million people watching England play an international game against Cameroon with that kind of behavior.

"I think it's pretty sad. I can't gloss over it and fudge it, and I've got to tell the truth to everybody."

Neville also said Cameroon's behavior reminded him of a child losing and "going home crying" with his ball.

Cameroon was called for 11 fouls during the match, compared to England's four infractions. Cameroon was called offside four times, while England committed the infraction three times. England was given 15 free kicks compared to seven free kicks for Cameroon.

England battles Norway in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Thursday in Le Havre, France.