Following his and fellow teammate Sulley Muntari's expulsion from the Ghana National Team ahead of a crucial group match at the World Cup, Kevin-Prince Boateng has made allegations against the Ghana Football Association. According to the Schalke midfielder, the Black Stars' organization during the world Cup in Brazil is "amateurish."
Boateng returned to the Black Stars last year following his retirement from international football after the previous World Cup in South Africa claimed that GFA pleaded to him to play for his home country, according to his interview with German newspaper Bild. Boateng considers Germany his home, the Guardian noted. In the interview, he claimed that the GFA failed to deliver its promise to him ahead of the tournament.
"It was a nightmare from the first day of the preparation to the end. We flew to the first training camp from Amsterdam to Miami. However, we traveled in two groups, since there was no space. One group flew through Atlanta, the other New York. We sat for around nine hours at the airport - a total of 19 hours on the road. 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."
Boateng tried to pay his respects to Ghana team coach James Appiah, of whom GFA said had been verbally attacked by the football player, which led to his dismissal from the team. On the other hand, he said the homegrown coach is not a good coach Ghana needed for the World Cup.
The football player lambasted claims that the players were after the money. He told Bild that the $3 million in cash by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama was just the tip of a very large iceberg.
"That was the smallest problem. Everything had accumulated over a month. It was pure disaster. Poor training conditions and sleep options, I just wonder where all the money was flowing too. The association get so much money from sponsors and Fifa - it was certainly not used for hotels, flights, the team and the preparation," Boateng stated.
If Boateng's allegations hold water, he would be the first athlete who had indirectly accused GFA of misuse of funds. GFA is already hounded with charges of match-fixing after a joint investigation by the Telegraph and Channel Four's Dispatches discovered that GFA boss Kwesi Nyantakyi allows rigging of international games played by his team for a fee.
