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Cameroon’s last-16 meltdown: How players on the pitch shouted ‘this is a WHITE World Cup’, their fans fought in England’s hotel and coach told his tearful side at half-time that the ref was biased.
England sensed even before they had left their base in northern France – the Royal Hinault Hotel and Spa, a recently converted hospital – that they could be in for a difficult afternoon. The teams were, unusually, sharing the same hotel and though Phil Neville’s players tried to soak up the Cameroonian noise and colour – their loud sound system playing as they headed out to training on Saturday and dancing in the corridors – there was a bizarre scene just before they set off for the round of 16 match. Cameroon fans had somehow got into the lobby and were fighting between themselves over tickets – for a game that was not even sold out.