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Sebastian Coates and Jose Maria Gimenez could replace the veteran, who will miss out because of a knee problem
Uruguay will be without captain Diego Lugano for their vital World Cup clash against England in Sao Paulo due to a knee injury.
Lugano completed 90 minutes as Oscar Tabarez's team went down to a shock 3-1 defeat at the hands of Costa Rica in their Group D opener last Saturday.
But the 33-year-old defender, who was released by West Brom at the end of last season, will not face Roy Hodgson's men due to soreness in the joint.
A statement on the Uruguay FA's official website confirmed Lugano's absence, but went on to explain the player is not expected to require treatment following the results of an MRI scan.
Lugano has been considered a lynchpin of his side's defence for over a decade and has accumulated close to 100 caps' worth of experience at international level, as well as a career spent playing for the likes of Fenerbahce, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo.
Young Atletico Madrid defender Jose Maria Gimenez and Liverpool centre-back Sebastian Coates are amongst the options that Tabarez has at his disposal to replace Lugano, assuming he maintains the three-man defensive line utilised in the shock Costa Rica loss.
Uruguay face England, who also lost their first game to Italy, on Thursday at the Arena Corinthians and expect to be boosted by the return of Luis Suarez following the star forward's recovery from knee surgery.
Del Bosque on future: 'We will take the best decision for Spanish football'
Jun 18, 2014 10:50:00 PM
The coach was in no mood to criticise his team, despite la Roja's shock elimination from the World Cup which they lifted in confident fashion four years ago
By Liam Twomey at Estadio Maracana
Vicente del Bosque refused to rule out the possibility of resigning after Spain were dumped out of the World Cup following a shock 2-0 defeat to Chile.
Goals from Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aranguiz condemned La Roja to a second successive defeat in Group B after last Friday's 5-1 mauling at the hands of a rampant Netherlands side last Friday.
The result ended Spain's bid to become the first nation to win four consecutive major international tournaments and saw them become the first side - along with Group B opponents Australia - to be eliminated from this year's competition.
After the match Del Bosque was quick to praise Chile's "courageous" performance but was less forthcoming when asked about his own future or that of his team.
"I’d like to think about what happened and have some time to think things over," he told reporters. "The truth is we’ve been together for 24 or 25 days and we were training quite well.
"We had difficulties choosing the starting team because everyone was fit. But the second half against Netherlands and the first half against Chile were a problem.
"We started with a sluggish rhythm, we were too shy, not brave enough maybe and that’s a pity because I didn’t expect that.
"Chile played as expected. They stuck to their style, their physical style and they are very, very courageous.
"I think this team is good and fit but we’ll have to take the best decision for Spanish football, and that applies to my position as well."
But despite his disappointment, Del Bosque saw no need to apologise for his team's lacklustre display.
"I think we have shown character despite our fairly straightforward elimination," he added. "We have gone forward, but have been unsuccessful in front of goal.
"For that we have no apology. We have all made a big effort. We had good intentions but we lacked something. We lacked a spark in the game. For the first time we have been very meek."
Spain will face Australia in their final group game on Monday, with kick-off at 18:00CET.
The Italian has no doubt the AC Milan man will rise to the occasion and has stressed that Greece should not be underestimated
By Luis Herrera from Natal
Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni is confident Keisuke Honda will prove his worth in the upcoming World Cup game against Greece.
The AC Milan star netted Japan's only goal in their 2-1 Group C defeat against Cote d'Ivoire at the weekend and Zaccheroni expects the attacking midfielder to once more deliver the goods on Thursday.
"My expectations regarding Honda are that he will deliver as has delivered so far. He is a very important player and point of reference of this team," Zaccheroni said at a press conference.
“I think I rely on a player who performed very well in the past four years. This shouldn’t be surprising, Honda is an important player. I consider him to be an excellent player."
The Japan boss then went on to stress that they cannot afford to underestimate Greece in their second group stage game.
"Greece have always stood out for their tenacity. My colleague from Greece has a very compact team he has been working with.
"They have had success in the compact nature of the team. It’s important to really exploit the good opportunities that come up. Greece are a difficult opponent.
"Japan have significant potential and we are all just waiting to show this in the next two matches. We know the next match is fundamental if we want to proceed."
Japan meet Colombia in their final group stage game on June 24.
The goalkeeper has dismissed reports the Portugal star is injured and is hopeful they can beat USA in their second Group G game
Portugal goalkeeper Beto has insisted Cristiano Ronaldo does not have any fitness issues ahead of their crucial World Cup game against USA on Sunday.
The Real Madrid star had been plagued by injury problems in the closing stages of the 2013-14 campaign, but returned in time for Portugal's 4-0 defeat to Germany in their World Cup opener.
There continued to be question marks over the attacker's fitness, however, as he allegedly left training early on Wednesday, yet Beto has now stressed his team-mate is in fine shape.
"Ronaldo didn't leave training early. He finished his training at the same time as the rest of the players," Beto said at a press conference.
"Cristiano is 100 percent fit to play. Every match he starts to play, it's because he's fit to play.
"He loves football but his body is the most important thing for him, to be fit, to be healthy so if he starts the match it's because he's ready, he's fit."
Portugal desperately need a good result against USA after their defeat versus Germany and Beto is confident they can bag the full three points.
"The best version of Portugal can beat the United States. We respect the USA as a very good team.
"They have grown up over the last years so we have to respect them, but we believe in ourselves, we believe in our work, in our quality so we have to be responsible.
"We have to be in the best condition to win this match and we believe it."
There's only one team WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is supporting in the World Cup and it's not Australia.
Thursday marks the second anniversary of Assange entering the Ecuadorean embassy in London to seek political asylum which was granted in mid-August 2012.
It's perhaps understandable then that the Queensland-born whistleblower is backing the South American country he hopes to one day call home.
"I have been watching the World Cup although the reception in this building is quite difficult," Assange told reporters during a phone conference on Wednesday.
"Of course Ecuador undoubtedly deserves to win the World Cup (and) it also has a pretty decent team."
But with so much prestige on the line for the host nation Assange is predicting Brazil is "the most likely victor".
This time last year, Assange launched a blistering attack on the Gillard government for abandoning him.
He said Labor "bent over more than any other country in the world" to appease the US.
Twelve months on he says the election of the conservative Abbott government in September 2013 "produced no change in the situation".
"Sadly it is the state of the Australian government ... that both sides of politics have been extremely close to the United States," he said.
Assange walked into the Ecuadorean embassy on June 19, 2012, and was granted political asylum two months later on August 16.
However, Britain refuses to allow Assange safe passage out of the embassy and is spending millions of pounds a year on 24-hour surveillance.
It says it has a legal obligation to extradite the Australian to Sweden for questioning over sexual assault allegations.
You have to hand it to Andressa Urach: She doesn't give up easy.
One week after she welcomed Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to the World Cup by painting the soccer star's jersey on her nude torso, the Brazilian model and reality TV star showed up to the team's training session in Sao Paulo on Wednesday. Her presumed goal? To grab the attention of Ronaldo as the ailing star prepares for Sunday's match against the United States.
Urach, however, was asked to leave the premises after gaining access with a press credential. Terra.com reports that security at Portugal's camp had been enhanced since last week when a boy ran on the field to get Ronaldo's autograph.
By William Schomberg
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 18 Thu Jun 19, 2014 8:01am BST
England's manager Roy Hodgson (R) attends a training session at the Arena Corinthians stadium in Sao Paulo, June 18, 2014. England will play against Uruguay on June 19. REUTERS/Tony Gentile (BRAZIL - Tags: SOCCER SPORT WORLD CUP)
(Reuters) - England manager Roy Hodgson expects prolific Uruguay striker Luis Suarez to return from injury and give the South Americans a much-needed boost when the teams meet in World Cup Group D on Thursday.
Suarez scored 31 goals in 33 games for Liverpool last season but underwent knee surgery last month and missed Uruguay’s opening 3-1 defeat by Costa Rica.
"We believe Luis Suarez will come back and that will be a big boost for them, not just as a player but as a sort of confidence booster for the whole team," Hodgson told reporters in Rio before the squad left for Sao Paulo.
"Of course, we would like to think that as a team we can keep him quiet but I’m sure he’s got other ideas," he added.
"We know how good he is. We know what he can do and our players will have to make certain, like they do when they play against Liverpool, that they deal with it."
England and Uruguay lost their opening games and their clash is vital to their chances of avoiding an early exit.
Suarez said this week that he was 100 percent fit and Hodgson knows exceptional players like him can lift an entire team with their performances.
"We saw (Diego) Maradona do it with Napoli all those years ago," the England coach said.
"Napoli had never won anything serious in Italy then suddenly Maradona pitches up and they become champions of Italy and they won the UEFA Cup."
Hodgson defended his striker Wayne Rooney, who has yet to score a World Cup goal.
British media have argued incessantly about where Rooney should play, and his critics say he does not deserve a place in the starting lineup.
"Wayne worked very hard like the rest of the team (in England’s opening 2-1 defeat by Italy)," Hodgson said.
"I was more than satisfied with Rooney's performance against Italy," he told reporters at Sao Paulo's Corinthians arena, where the match will be played.
"It was interesting to get the statistics back and find out that he ran more than any other England player, had more sprints than any other England player, which maybe wasn't always evident to people watching the game."
FIFA statistics showed Rooney covered more than 11.2 kilometres (seven miles) during the match, compared with a team average of 9.2km.
But in his earlier comments made in Rio, Hodgson would not be drawn on what role Rooney would play against Uruguay.
"As you know, in all the time we've been together I never give teams away before I've spoken to the players," Hodgson said.
"At the moment, the players don't know what team I'm going to select on Thursday, so I've got no intention here, unfortunately, of saying he will or he won't play."
(Additional reporting by Mike Collett-White in Sao Paulo; Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Ed Osmond)
Forlan and Cavani: Uruguayan pedigree can see off England
By Dominic Farrell
Jun 19, 2014 4:13:00 PM
Oscar Tabarez's men face a real fight to qualify from Group D after a shock defeat to Costa Rica but the strike duo are confident they have what it takes to beat the Three Lions
Uruguay strikers Diego Forlan and Edinson Cavani believe the team's fighting spirit can rescue their World Cup campaign.
La Celeste were shocked in their Group D opener, going down 3-1 to Costa Rica, and are left with little margin for error against England in Sao Paulo on Thursday.
But it is a scenario Uruguay are more than familiar with, having come through inter-continental play-offs to reach their past three World Cups.
"We have gone through a lot and have always survived,” Cavani told Fifa.com.
"Play-offs, difficult matches, extreme situations – and here we are. This generation has won almost everything and knows how to do so."
The bulk of the squad that reached the semi-finals in South Africa four years ago and went on to claim 2011 Copa America glory remain together, and Forlan believes this could also be a factor in Uruguay's favour.
“Of course it won't be easy but this team has been together for a long time and we know what we're capable of,” said the 35-year-old.
"We have to do our work on the pitch, play as we know [we can], and I believe that will be sufficient to achieve the results we need.”
The Barcelona midfielder was dismissed for striking Mario Mandzukic off the ball as his side crashed out of the tournament against Croatia on Wednesday
Cameroon midfielder Alex Song has apologised to the nation's fans after his red card in Wednesday's defeat to Croatia.
The Barcelona man was sent off for elbowing striker Mario Mandzukic in the back as Volker Finke's men slipped to a second defeat at the World Cup, going down 4-0 in Manuas.
And Song felt compelled to say sorry following his first-half dismissal.
"I'm very sad at the moment as I feel I have let my country and myself down," he said in a statement.
"It was a stupid moment and I'm truly sorry. If I could do anything to take it back I would. Please forgive me."
Cameroon are now out of the competition and also saw Benoit Assou-Ekotto involved in an unsavoury tangle with team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo late on, an incident coach Volker Finke described as "unimaginable".
"I saw this happen and I need to find out exactly what happened, why exactly these two players exploded. I hate to see that. It's not the image of Cameroon I want to project."
Cameroon will seek to restore some pride when they face hosts Brazil in the final game of their campaign.
As expected, the Sunderland man will miss Sunday's match against the European nation after suffering a hamstring injury in his country's World Cup opener
USA forward Jozy Altidore has been ruled out of his nation's second Group G game, against Portugal in Manaus on Sunday.
Altidore, who started the first game of the past two World Cups for his country, will miss the fixture after straining his left hamstring 20 minutes into Monday’s opening victory over Ghana.
U.S. Soccer made the announcement at its training camp in Sao Paulo, where Altidore was on site to receive treatment for his injury. It has not yet been determined whether he will make the long trip to Manaus for the game or remain at the team's base to continue treatment.
Altidore’s absence now leaves coach Jurgen Klinsmann with a selection dilemma ahead of the Portugal game, with the Sunderland star one of the more traditional strikers in his team's squad.
The German trainer could either deploy Clint Dempsey - who will play despite receiving a broken nose in the Ghana game and may need to wear a protective mask - in a more advanced position, or choose MLS veteran Chris Wondolowski or youngster Aron Johansson as a more direct replacement.
Centre-back Matt Besler, meanwhile, who left the opener at halftime with a tight hamstring, is likely to be cleared to play.
The reigning champions crashed out of the World Cup at the group stage in what is being labelled as the end of tiki-taka's rule over international football
Jose Mourinho says Spain were so uncompromising in their belief in the tiki-taka philosophy that it was inevitable opponents would eventually figure out how to beat them.
The reigning world and double-European champions crashed out of the World Cup on Wednesday with a 2-0 defeat to Chile, whose high-pressing game is a more intense variation of the model that led la Roja to such success in the past.
And with that result coming on the back of their 5-1 humiliation at the hands of the Netherlands, Chelsea coach Mourinho believes the rest of the world eventually worked them out.
“People learn how to play against the best teams and when the best teams always play believing that their philosophy is the [best] one, the other people learn,” Mourinho told Yahoo Sport.
“They did what I think in modern football you have to do – you have to be strategic. Netherlands and Chile were very good from a strategic point of view and Spain couldn’t cope with it.
“Spain was so amazing in the last 4-6 years. They were so amazing in the way they played football that people learned, people studied [them].
"Louis Van Gaal was brilliant in the way he analysed and played the game against Spain. But Sampaoli was even more [so].
"I think we have to be fair and instead of saying that Spain didn’t play well [against Chile] – which I agree with – we have to say congratulations to the coach.”
Spain’s exit means the last four World Cups have seen three reigning champions eliminated in the first round after France and Italy finished bottom of their groups in 2002 and 2006 respectively.
USA coach says his side will aim for nothing but a victory when they face Paulo Bento's men in Manaus this weekend
USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann reckons his team have the belief to beat Portugal, -even without the injured Jozy Altidore.
Altidore hurt his hamstring in the USA's 2-1 win over Ghana on Monday and appears likely to miss Sunday's Group G clash in Manaus.
Klinsmann revealed he had urged his men to move on from their opening-game triumph at the World Cup, and believes they can overcome the "amazing" talents of Portugal, who may have to make do without captain Cristiano Ronaldo due to his ongoing fitness problems.
"We only talk now about how we can beat this Portuguese team with all these amazing players they have," the German told reporters this week.
"This is our goal and we believe in it and believe we can go to Manaus and beat them. We want to get in the next round and if it takes beating Portugal then this is what we have to do."
Klinsmann was also unwilling to reveal his plans to cope with the injured Altidore should the 24-year-old be confirmed unfit for the clash in Manaus.
"I don't want to go too deep into details because obviously we want Portugal to guess a little bit as well but when one of your key players is not available does it change certain things? Absolutely it does," Klinsmann said.
"Jozy is a very strong and key player in our group so we will think about the right way to handle the situation.
"We still can field 11 and we are not a man down, we have somebody coming in and we will make it very difficult for Portugal in Manaus and find solutions."
Klinsmann feels goal difference could be key after Germany thrashed Portugal 4-0 in their opening game, but he will not go into his team's second match looking for a draw.
"We have very good players in this squad and we have the confidence to go into that game and say, 'we are here and want to beat you and get into the next round'," Klinsmann said.
"Our approach is not to go to Manaus and defend for 1-1 or 0-0 or whatever it is, but we go there and want to win this game."
'Glass got stuck in my foot!' - Olic plays through the pain
By Joe Wright
Jun 19, 2014 11:43:00 AM
The Croatia forward, who opened the scoring in rout of Cameroon, says he is a doubt to face Mexico after requiring stitches to a freak injury suffered in the team hotel
Croatia forward Ivica Olic has revealed he took pain-killing injections prior to the clash with Cameroon after stepping on broken glass in his bathroom.
The experienced attacker opened the scoring against the African side on Wednesday, converting Ivan Perisic's pass from close range before Croatia romped to a 4-0 win.
The 34-year-old has since explained he forced himself to play through the pain after requiring stitches when a piece of glass became stuck in his right foot in the hours before the game.
"All the best to our medical team who enabled me to play after an accident I had in the hotel," Olic said after Wednesday's game, which saw him become the oldest Croatia goalscorer in World Cup finals history.
"After a shower, the door in my bathroom broke and cut me. And I stepped on one piece of glass that got stuck in my foot!
"Doctors, headed by Zoran Bahtijarevic, sewed my wound and gave me a pain-killing injection so I could play.
Luckily, it was my right foot. I was so mad and even aggressive when they told me they have to sew it, but now I am grateful to them."
Olic said he would be perfectly happy to take further injections in order to play in the crucial Group A clash with Mexico, should the injury fail to recover sufficiently after a few days of rest.
"I am not allowed to train, to sweat. Hopefully, it will heal in the next two or three days so I don't have to take pain-killers for the Mexico game, but of course I will take them if necessary," he added.
The basketball ace has given his opinion on who will win this summer’s tournament, while also admitting that he prefers football to any other sport
Basketball player Kobe Bryant says he hopes Brazil and Argentina reach the final of this summer's World Cup.
The five-time NBA champion, who has also tipped Germany to go far in the tournament, has admitted that football is his favourite sport and has travelled to Brazil after opting to watch the World Cup instead of the NBA Finals.
While he is delighted to see all the best teams in action, he believes Brazil will be hard to beat in this summer’s competition because of home advantage and Germany will also do well.
"It's not easy to face Brazil in their own country,” the 35-year-old is quoted as saying by AS. “I'd like to see a final with both Brazil and Argentina in it.
“Germany also seem very strong this year and a really hard opponent to beat."
"From the age of six to fourteen I played football. It's my favourite sport and I do not want to miss these great games, which is why I am here, in Brazil.
“I want to see the best teams and the best players here at the World Cup.”
The Portuguese trainer has revealed he plans to end his three-year spell with Team Melli at the end of the tournament in Brazil
Carlos Queiroz has stated his intention to leave his position as Iran coach after the World Cup.
The Portuguese trainer extended his contract with the Asian nation in June, with that deal lasting until the end of the tournament in Brazil.
And while Queiroz revealed that the Iranian Football Association had offered him the chance to stay, the former Portugal coach believes financial restrictions mean he cannot take Iran any further.
"I will end my relationship [with Iran] after the World Cup," he told Publico.
"There was a moment when Iran proposed that I stay, and they still are showing that they want me here.
"But there is not enough support from the government, and it's clear that the interest in continuing doing the job we have been doing developing the national squads... is over due to financial conditions.
"The dialogue is over, and I already decided that I am not going to stay."
Queiroz witnessed Iran draw 0-0 with Nigeria in their Group F opener, and must now prepare his side for a showdown with Argentina, who are considered one of the favourites for the tournament.
The 61-year-old admits Iran face a near impossible task against a team he considers among the best in the world, but believes his side will be fully prepared.
"Argentina carry a top reputation in world football," he added.
"It's difficult to find another national team with so much credibility and reputation. They are among the top five teams in the world.”
Chile fans given 72 hours to leave Brazil after Maracana breach
Jun 19, 2014 2:22:00 PM
The nation's Federal Police has given the deadline to the 85 ticketless supporters who were arrested after breaking into the stadium's media centre and trying to access the stands
By Liam Twomey at Estadio Maracana
Brazil's Federal Police has given a 72-hour deadline to leave the country to the 85 Chile fans who invaded the Maracana's media centre in the build-up to their team's victory over Spain on Wednesday.
Dozens of supporters broke through a security gate and smashed through the doors to the centre before pulling down a temporary partition wall in a bid to reach the stands.
Stewards and security officials eventually pinned down the group in a corridor next to the media centre and held them there for a short time before leading them to police.
“If they [the Chile fans] don’t comply with the notification [to leave within 72 hours], they will be subject to summary deportation according to our immigration laws” the Federal Police said in a statement.
Fifa, meanwhile, insists none of the supporters managed to reach the stands and says such "violent" acts will not be tolerated.
"Ahead of the Spain-Chile match at the Maracana, a group of individuals without tickets violently forced entry into the stadium," a statement issued on Twitter read.
"They broke fences and overran security before being contained by security. They did not make it to the seats.
"The situation was brought under control quickly and at least 85 intruders were detained by the military police of Rio.
"The organisers of the World Cup condemn these acts of violence. We’ll communicate further info and measures to be taken in due course."
This latest incident constitutes the second security breach at the Maracana inside a week and raises serious questions about the capability of Fifa and Rio authorities to maintain safety at next month's World Cup final.
On Sunday around 30 ticketless Argentina supporters scaled an outer wall and broke through a gate before being detained prior to their team's Group F opener with Bosnia-Herzegovina.
As part of the crackdown on counterfeit merchandise relating to the tournament, eight stall-holders were questioned in the Mato Grosso capital
By Peter Staunton in Cuiaba
Brazilian authorities seized 987 pieces of counterfeit World Cup goods at a shopping centre in Cuiaba on Wednesday.
Shirts, shoes, hats and other merchandise displaying Fifa, Adidas or World Cup logos were seized and eight stall-holders answered questions relating to the investigation before being released. Also taken for examination were electronics, laptops and handbags as well as pirated CDs and DVDs.
The Delegacia Especializada do Consumidor [Decon] and the Civil Judicial Police of Mato Grosso swooped on Shopping Popular Varzea Grande as part of Operation Maculan, which targets manufacturers, distributors and sellers of illegal products. The operation is currently monitoring World Cup and Fifa trademarks and patents in Cuiaba, Mato Grosso's capital and site of four World Cup group stage matches.
"We made a previous survey of these stalls and when we got there we found goods with the World Cup brand," Decon delegate Ana Cristina Feldner told the local press.
The stall owners were questioned under Article 66 of the Consumer Code. Punishments for breaching trademark regulations as stipulated in the General Law of the World Cup range from three months to one year in prison and a fine.
Efforts were made in May to make retailers aware of the risks of carrying illegal goods when preventative guidance was issued. "We will try to identify the suppliers of the products seized, and will monitor [to see] if the owners continue selling these infringing products," Feldner said.
The veteran defender insists a dispute over World Cup bonuses for the squad was handled amicably with the nation's football association
Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo insists the country's players did not hold their FA to ransom over World Cup appearance fees.
The Super Eagles opened their Group F campaign with a goalless draw against Iran, but speculation about bonus payments continues to rumble on.
Members of the squad will reportedly receive 30 per cent of the money given to the Nigerian Football Federation [NFF] for participation in the first round.
"No one held Nigeria to ransom," the 33-year-old told AfricanFootball.com. "We are ready to play for Nigeria even if we don't get paid for that [appearance fees].
"Look at the players who are playing in Nigeria, this money is a life changer for them. This will change [things for] their families. They will be happy because they worked hard to get here.
"This [money] won't change my life, but as the captain of the team I know what the players deserve.
"Most countries have appearance fees and this was what we spoke about.
"It [the meeting with the NFF about appearance fees] was peaceful and quiet, there was no problem, but at the end of the day it came out differently in the media.
"They should have addressed this much earlier than when it was almost game time. Why did they wait till the last minute?" he asked.
Nigeria's next fixture is against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday.
Cameroon boss Finke refuses to resign despite World Cup farce
By Sam Lee at the Arena da Amazonia
Jun 19, 2014 10:14:00 AM
The German watched on from the sidelines as his team imploded against Croatia on Wednesday, but said a decision on his future has nothing to do with him
Cameroon coach Volker Finke refused to answer questions about his future following his side's capitulation against Croatia at the World Cup.
The Indomitable Lions were reduced to 10 men in the first half when Alex Song struck Mario Mandzukic in the back with his elbow, and went on to lose 4-0 as the Croatians poured forward.
Left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto then headbutted team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo in the closing seconds as their performance descended into farce.
But faced with calls from the Cameroonian press that he should step aside ahead of the final Group A match with Brazil on Monday, Finke did his best not to be drawn further into the increasingly messy situation.
"It's not for me to decide. It has nothing to do with me. Please, give me a night's rest.
"I want to present another side of this team against Brazil, this is about discipline, we have to play 11 versus 11."
He later added to Fifa.com: "It's a tough result to take. It's always difficult to play with 10 men, but that's still no excuse for tonight's performance.
"It wasn't enough for me as coach. Everybody has to do something more when it's 10 versus 11. After today, we must be clear to prepare for our last game against Brazil.
"Sorry for this result. The style of defending and poor behaviour from the red card is why we gave up four goals.
"There's no doubt that Croatia were more clinical in front of goal, but Cameroon also had chances to score. We need to move on and look to the future, because this team is full of promising players."
Finke, a German, became the third coach of Cameroon's World Cup qualifying campaign back in May 2013, and is currently working alongside four local assistants appointed by the country's Football Association to ensure a local influence on the technical staff.
The idea was mooted by Cameroon legend and World Cup 1990 hero Roger Milla, who hit out at Finke before the tournament, insisting he has no faith in the former Freiburg boss, and once again called for him to go in the build-up to Wednesday's game.
The left-back launched an inexplicable assault on compatriot Ben Moukandjo towards the end of their loss to Croatia, but escaped a sending off as none of the officials saw it
Benoit Assou-Ekotto lost his cool and headbutted his own team-mate in the final moments of Cameroon's 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Croatia on Wednesday.
The African nation were being battered in a must-win match against the Balkan side and were four goals and a man down with a minute left on the clock when the QPR left-back, 30, snapped.
He whipped in an inch-perfect cross for substitute striker Pierre Webo to crash against the crossbar via the ground and his overhead kick follow-up could not be directed past his Croatian marker.
After the attack has dissipated, Assou-Ekotto went over to Ben Moukandjo - who had been lingering on the edge of the box when the defender had crossed for Webo - and started shouting at him.
Moukandjo attempted to walk past, looking downtrodden, but Assou-Ekotto suddenly lent in to attack the 25-year-old, who looked shocked at the more experienced player's antics.
The referee and his fellow officials missed the incident, so Assou-Ekotto has so far escaped being reprimanded, while injured Cameroon skipper Samuel Eto'o could be seen comforting a distressed Moukandjo after the final whistle.
Earlier in the first half, Alex Song had shown similar aggression when he had elbowed Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic in the back for no real reason, resulting in the Barcelona midfielder being given a straight red card with most of the match to play.
Cameroon boss Volker Finke was baffled as to why Song and Assou-Ekotto lashed out violently and said sorry for the way that his side crumbled - both on the scoresheet and psychologically.
"It's unimaginable," the German told reporters. "I saw this happen and I need to find out exactly what happened, why exactly these two players exploded.
"I hate to see that. It's not the image of Cameroon I want to project.
"I apologise for the result, it really hurts. We had no control on the game and I didn't like the behaviour of my team. We have to look forward - this team does have players for the future."
The defeat in Manaus saw Cameroon become the third team to be eliminated from the World Cup, despite them still having a game against Brazil to play on Monday.
Their tournament has been plagued by an internal dispute over potential win bonuses, which ultimately proved pointless as the Indomitable Lions look set to exit the competition without a victory.
