Cameroon defender Augustine Ejangue has apologised to Toni Duggan after spitting on her in their 3-0 loss to England in Sunday's Round of 16 contest in Valenciennes.
Goals from Steph Houghton, Ellen White and Alex Greenwood sealed a quarterfinal date with Norway for Phil Neville's side, but the game was marred by the Africans' on-field protests over a number of VAR decisions against them.
In one of the several controversies during the match, the Cameroon defender was seen spitting on Duggan's arm before Houghton scored from an indirect freekick in the 14th minute.
The widely condemned incident led the 30-year-old Arna-Bjørnar defender to post her apologies to the Barcelona star on Wednesday.
"I would like to publicly apologise to Toni Duggan for the incident in our Women's World Cup match against England three days ago," Ejangue posted on her official Instagram page.
"I don't mean this and no harm intended. I simply spit without looking and I'm very sorry to Toni for this incident.
"I have the utmost respect for her as a professional and wish her to go as possible with her national team and in her club career.
"During the match, I apologised and explained what happened immediately to the match official, and I looked for Toni after the match outside the locker room but didn't see her, unfortunately.
"I have played professionally in Europe for the last nine years as a defender in the top leagues in Denmark, Spain, Norway, Russia, and in Champions League.
"I also played in the Olympic Game in London, In Worl Cup in Canada and now in France and in multiple African Championships.
"I have never been sent off and never had any discipline issues. I have the highest respect for the referees and all my fellow professionals. I'm sorry for this incident."
Despite her apologies, Ejangue and her Cameroon side are likely to face sanctions from Caf and Fifa, with the football bodies reportedly investigating their unsporting behaviour.
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