Kevin-Prince Boateng was expelled from Ghana's World Cup team after uttering "vulgar verbal insults" at coach Kwesi Appiah. Now, the Schalke star is telling his side of the story.
Boateng describes a chaotic and extremely disorganized buildup to Ghana's World Cup campaign.
“Everything – the hotels, the flights – everything was amateurish,” he told German newspaper Bild, via the Guardian.
Boateng saved his harshest words for the Ghana FA.
“The GFA president visited me in Milan begging me to play for Ghana again. He gave me his word that we would have better travel, better organisation and preparation. He has not kept his word. In the end I was just still dissatisfied."
These sound like the complaints of an entitled professional athlete, but Boateng explained why he was so disappointed.
“The flight from Miami to Brazil a week later took 12 hours and we sat and concentrated in economy class. The legs ached. It sounds strange for an average citizen, but for a competitive athlete that is a disgrace. The Ghana FA president sat in business class with his wife and two children. And then in Brazil, we finally had a charter flight but my luggage was lost. Two days without football boots – it was a disaster.”
He saved some of his stronger criticisms for some of his teammates, who he accused of turning Appiah against Boateng and Sulley Muntari, who was also expelled from the team before Ghana's final group stage game against Portugal.
“We were not a real team. Everyone was busy with themselves,” he said.
“There were two or three players who were just glad Sulley Muntari and I were suspended. They said it to my face. We all know that I have never insulted the coach. Nevertheless, they have turned the manager against Sulley and me. I am very calm and relaxed, because I definitely know that I did no such thing."
