Ghana's World Cup ends in turmoil, defeat

Ghana's tumultuous World Cup campaign came to a chaotic conclusion Thursday, with two of the country's star players thrown off the team hours before a 2-1 loss to Portugal.

A day after a possible player mutiny over World Cup bonus payments was resolved, Ghana announced that Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng had been sent home and suspended indefinitely for disciplinary reasons.

Muntari's tournament finished early because of an "unprovoked physical attack on an executive committee member of the GFA and a management member of the Black Stars, Mr. Moses Armah" on Tuesday, one statement read.

A second statement released by Ghana's federation accused Boateng of "vulgar verbal insults targeted at coach Kwesi Appiah" this week.

"At this level, you look at the team, not one player, you always have to look at it like that," Appiah said after Ghana finished last in Group G, behind Germany, the United States and Portugal.

"The players were all aware. They saw what happened. If you want to build a team and restore discipline, it's important to make the decision like this."

The Ghana federation said Boateng showed "no remorse for his actions." He accepted his suspension but told German newspaper Sport Bild that "no one should think I insulted the coach or did anything wrong."

Boateng said he and Muntari had been joking with each other at training Wednesday. Boateng said the coach asked why they were laughing, then sent Boateng to the dressing room.

"After training I went to the coach and asked him if he had a minute for me. I asked him what he had against me," Boateng was quoted as saying. "Then he started shouting at me."

Ghana, a quarterfinalist in 2010, had to beat Portugal to stand any chance of reaching the second round. Cristiano Ronaldo's 80th-minute goal broke a 1-1 tie, and Ghana failed to get out of its group for the first time at a World Cup.

Appiah downplayed the impact of the absences of Muntari and Boateng. Muntari was suspended for the match anyway after drawing two yellow cards.

Ghana's team already was in turmoil following a row over appearance-fee payments that players had been promised but had not yet received. Ghana's cash-strapped federation was forced to ask FIFA for an advance on the $8-million prize money guaranteed for playing at the World Cup.

"What the players requested was paid to them," said Appiah, who said Wednesday that a plane carrying cash sent by Ghana's president was en route to Brasilia. Prize money usually is paid after the tournament.