Ghana made its third appearance in the World Cup this year and the team was hoping to build on an appearance in the quarterfinals in South African in 2010. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as the Black Stars were unable to make it out of the group stage, finishing a disappointing fourth in Group G.
When you add in that Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sully Muntari were suspended indefinitely and sent home for separate incidents, it was a tournament to forget for Ghana.
While the team’s performance on the pitch was less than desirable, the organization of the Ghana Football Association leading up to (and during) the Word Cup apparently wasn’t much better.
During a recent interview, Boateng had harsh words for the association that centered around what he an teammates were put through.
“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, he said via The Guardian.
“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.”
“The association get so much money from sponsors and Fifa – it was certainly not used for hotels, flights, the team and the preparation.”
Boateng also mentioned how the squad didn’t have the characteristics of a team and that a few members were more worried about themselves.
During the World Cup, Ghanaian players voiced displeasure and reportedly refused to train over not receiving payment for appearance fees, which resulted in the Ghana Football Association sending $3 million cash to be divided among the players.
With everything that went on leading up to (and during) the World Cup, it’s not hard to see why the team wasn’t successful, despite having the talent to be.
