By Iain Rogers
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Midfielders Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari have been suspended from Ghana’s World Cup team with immediate effect after they clashed with coach Kwesi Appiah and a soccer federation (GFA) official.
The GFA, who said on Wednesday they had solved a row over player appearance fees, confirmed the decisions on their website (www.ghanafa.org) ahead of the nation’s Group G game against Portugal in Brasilia later on Thursday.
Boateng was sanctioned following “vulgar verbal insults targeted at coach Kwesi Appiah during the team’s training session in Maceio this week,” the GFA said.
Muntari’s suspension was handed down “in the wake of his unprovoked physical attack on an executive committee member of the GFA and a management member of the Black Stars, Mr. Moses Armah, on Tuesday 24th June, 2014 during a meeting,” they added.
Boateng had shown “no remorse for his actions” and both players had their World Cup accreditation withdrawn.
Ghana missed training in Brasilia on Tuesday because of the row over fees, with the players conducting a series of meetings to discuss the matter and the nation’s president, John Mahama, later stepped in to try to resolve the dispute.
Appiah said a consignment of money was on its way to the Brazilian capital by plane and that cash was required as many of his squad didn’t have bank accounts in Ghana.
The coach also said the situation had left him suffering many sleepless nights and should have been sorted long ago.
Ghana can still qualify for the knockout stage if they beat Portugal and the result in the other Group G match between Germany and the United States goes their way.
Muntari was set to miss the Portugal game as he was suspended after earning a second booking of the tournament in last week’s 2-2 draw with Germany.
(Editing by John O’Brien)
