Claudio Ranieri Unleashes Scathing Attack on Fulham Striker Aboubakar Kamara After Penalty Debacle

Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri has launched a scathing attack on striker Aboubakar Kamara, after the Frenchman refused to let designated taker Aleksandar Mitrovic take a penalty against Huddersfield.

The 23-year-old earned the Cottagers the opportunity to win the game with ten minutes remaining, when he was fouled inside the Terriers penalty area.

Inexplicably, Kamara then refused to hand the ball over to teammate Mitrovic, ensuing in a slanging match between the two players on field. Despite the protestations of many of his teammates, as well as Ranieri on the touchline, Kamara refused to hand over the ball and stepped up to take the penalty - which was subsequently saved by Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl.

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After the game, Ranieri publicly hung the striker out to dry - claiming that he has never witnessed such insubordination during his lengthy career in management.

“It’s not possible to explain, or maybe it’s easy to explain,” Ranieri said in his post-match press conference, as quoted by Fulham's official website.

“When the man thinks only of himself, it’s not right. He didn’t respect me, the club, his teammates, the crowd. He took the penalty, he didn’t listen because he wanted to shoot.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s the first time in my life [I’ve seen this]. Sometimes there is two players, but at the end there is respect for the man who is the nominated penalty taker.

“I will not accept Kamara taking the ball and wanting to shoot." 

The Italian, who shocked the world when he led Leicester to Premier League title glory during the 2015/16 season, revealed that Serbian striker Mitrovic is the club's designated penalty taker - though that didn't seem to matter a jot to Kamara.

"Mitrovic is the penalty taker, but he thought he was the man," Ranieri added, in quotes relayed by The Sun.

"He did not apologise. It was impossible to speak with this man. He doesn’t understand the reason. It’s the first time in my life."

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The incident is likely to result in significant disciplinary action from the club, and with the January transfer window right around the corner, it would come as no surprise if Fulham attempt to sever ties with Kamara.