By Andrew Warshaw in Brazil
June 26 – Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng, two of Ghana’s best-known and most experienced players, were expelled from their World Cup squad for alleged indiscipline prior to the nation’s final group game which they lost to Portugal 2-1 last night.
A statement on the Ghana Football Association website said they had “been suspended indefinitely”.
Boateng had used “vulgar verbal insults targeted at coach Kwesi Appiah” while Muntari was guilty of an “unprovoked physical attack on an executive committee member”.
The news came just hours before Ghana were taking on Portugal, still in with a chance of making it to the knockout stage.
Four years ago, when they so nearly reached the semifinals, Ghana became everyone’s second favourite team and made even more friends in this World Cup with their stirring performance against Germany.
But off the field it is clear things have not been running smoothly. The Ghana FA statement said the incident involving AC Milan’s Muntari took place on Tuesday and named Moses Armah, a member of the team management, as the man alleged to have been assaulted.
Schalke’s Boateng was said by the Ghana FA to have shown “no remorse for his actions”, which took place during the team’s training session in Maceio on Tuesday. The team had refused to train unless they were paid their appearance money which at that time was outstanding.
Ghana’s World Cup campaign has already been hit by a dispute over players’ appearance fees – as happens so often with African teams. On Wednesday, the government sent in excess of $3 million in a chartered plan to Brazil to pay the squad following their threat to boycott their final group match against Portugal if they did not receive the money.
Although the money arrived for the team, it is not known whether Boateng or Muntari received appearance money owed due to their suspension by the Ghana FA.
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