West Ham’s Alex Song retires from international football

Cameroon midfielder Alex Song has announced his immediate retirement from international football.

The on-loan West Ham player has not played for his country since being sent off against Croatia in the group stages of the 2014 World Cup and had also been left out of their squad for the upcoming African Nations Cup.

However, the Hammers feared they would lose Song for the rest of the month after he flew back to his homeland to discuss his international future with the Cameroon Football Federation and the possibility of appearing in the continental cup competition.

Those fears have now been allayed, with Song announcing in a statement released to Press Assocation Sport that he has decided to quit the national team.

“Since the World Cup in the summer and my subsequent exclusion from the Cameroon squad for the African Cup of Nations I have taken the decision to retire from international football,” he said.

“It is true that there were some discussions of late to include me in the squad for this tournament but I feel after a lot of careful thought and numerous discussions with my family this is the right decision.

“My love for my country will never change but I want to take time to focus purely on domestic football and start to rebuild my career at West Ham United. I wish Cameroon all the best and the team will always be in my heart.”