Former Ghanaian footballer Kevin-Prince Boateng has revealed the circumstances surrounding his removal from the Black Stars team during the 2014 World Cup, asserting that he was taking a stand in solidarity with his teammates.
Boateng, along with Sulley Muntari, faced expulsion from the camp after engaging in heated disagreements with the management committee on the eve of Ghana’s critical World Cup group match against Portugal.
In an interview with Vibe with Five, Boateng shared the events leading to his departure, stating, “I was dismissed from both the national team and Schalke in the same season.”
When asked to elaborate on the reasons for his expulsion from the Ghanaian team, Boateng clarified, “During a meeting, I criticized the Ghana Football Association for not treating us fairly. I suggested that they invest in the organization and provide the players with the compensation they deserved.”
His comments were met with disapproval, resulting in his expulsion. On the day of the Portugal match, Boateng received a notification under his door at 6 a.m., instructing him to vacate the team hotel within 15 minutes and return his credentials.
Boateng expressed his disappointment that no other players came forward in support of him and Muntari, lamenting, “No one spoke up. I wasn’t advocating for myself; I was advocating for the team. It was heart-wrenching to witness as I left with my belongings. I told Muntari that a true team would have said, ‘we are all not playing.'”
Ultimately, Ghana suffered a 2-1 loss to Portugal in the match, leading to their premature exit from the group stage of the tournament with just one point to their name.
