{"id":28315,"date":"2014-06-30T01:09:46","date_gmt":"2014-06-30T01:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=28315"},"modified":"2014-06-30T09:11:11","modified_gmt":"2014-06-30T09:11:11","slug":"ghanas-wc-preparation-was-shambolic-k-p-boateng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/06\/ghanas-wc-preparation-was-shambolic-k-p-boateng\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghana’s WC preparation was shambolic – K.P Boateng"},"content":{"rendered":"
Kevin Prince Boateng has ripped into the entire Black Stars World Cup campaign in Brazil.<\/p>\n
The Schalke man minces no words\u00a0as he speaks to the big\u00a0German media house, Bild.<\/p>\n
Of interest is his flat denial of insulting Kwesi Appiah, the coach.<\/p>\n
“I am very, very disappointed. It just wasn\u2019t a good time. The nightmare lasted from the first day of the preparations until the very end,” he begins.<\/p>\n
“I would never have thought that the preparations and the World Cup itself could be so badly organized. The hotels, the flights \u2013 everything was amateurish.”<\/p>\n
“Our president [GFA president], his wife and his two kids sat in business class on the same flight. In Brazil we finally got a chartered flight. But then the officials managed to lose my luggage somehow. I didn\u2019t have my football boots for some days, no tapes, nothing. It was disastrous.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
“We flew from our first training camp in Amsterdam to Miami. But we flew in two groups, because apparently there wasn\u2019t enough space for all of us. One group went via Atlanta, the other one via New York. We sat at the airport for nine hours and the whole trip was 19 hours. And\u2026”<\/p>\n
“The flight from Miami to Brazil a week later was 12 hours. We flew economy class, all cramped. The legs hurt. It may sound weird for normal people, but for professional sportsmen it\u2019s an impertinence.”<\/p>\n
“Our president [GFA president], his wife and his two kids sat in business class on the same flight. In Brazil we finally got a chartered flight. But then the officials managed to lose my luggage somehow. I didn\u2019t have my football boots for some days, no tapes, nothing. It was disastrous.”<\/p>\n
“The only hotel were we could really prepare in was the one in Miami. We moved in there after we complained because the players didn\u2019t want to stay at the other one.”<\/p>\n
“Before the first WC game against USA we slept at a hotel, I call it a fleabag, which was definitely not recommended by FIFA. There was a severe water damage, the rooms were wet. I had to change rooms, my room had turned into a private swimming-pool because of the water dripping from the ceiling. ”<\/p>\n
Boateng says his complaint after the USA game that he did not start was because Kwesi Appiah\u00a0had made him believe he will be pivotal in the setup.<\/p>\n
“Very surprised. It was him who kept talking about me as the leader and who had declared his confidence in me. I have never had a problem with him and I have always behaved positively. But if somebody asked me whether he is a good coach\u2026 No.<\/p>\n
“No. But I respect him as a person, like I respect everyone. I have always accepted and respected all decision that he made. I\u2019m just wondering why he begged me to play for Ghana when I was still at AC Milan.”<\/p>\n
“Then I make a comeback and suddenly I\u2019m not playing anymore. The president was at one of these talks as well. He gave me his word that we were going to have better travel, better organization and better preparation. He didn\u2019t keep the promise. In the end I was just dissatisfied.”<\/p>\n
Bonuses – Kevin’s take<\/strong><\/p>\n
“No. That has become part of it and it\u2019s nearly normal. That was the smallest problem. But everything kept stacking up over the whole month. It was catastrophic. The practice conditions, sleeping conditions, everything. I just wonder where all the money goes.”<\/p>\n
“The GFA makes so much money from sponsors, through FIFA. And it\u2019s certainly not spent on hotels, flights, the squad and the preparations. ”<\/p>\n