Cameroon coach says players' bonus dispute is behind them, was business as usual back home

Cameroon coach Volker Finke flinches from the cold air of conditioner during a news conference at the Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil, Thursday, June 12, 2014. Cameroon will play in group A in the Brazil 2014 soccer World Cup. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits) (The Associated Press)

Miguel Herrera, técnico de la selección mexicana, habla con la prensa tras un entrenamiento realizado en Natal, Brasil, el jueves 12 de junio de 2014, un día antes de comenzar su participación mundialista contra Camerún (AP Foto/Sergei Grits) (The Associated Press)

NATAL, Brazil – Cameroon came late to the World Cup after a bonus dispute caused trouble before the squad got to Brazil. Now that the players are here, the team wants to leave all that back in Africa.

Yet with Friday's first match against Mexico in Group A looming, the dispute was still the first question posed to the players in Thursday's news conference.

It took about five seconds for Cameroon spokesman Rafael Nkoa to silence any answer, while coach Volker Finke dismissed any suggestion that the dispute had harmed the team spirit.

That's just how business gets done in Cameroon, Volke said.