Unhappy (Un)Camper?
Ghanian midfielder Sulley Muntari may or may not have been sent home from the World Cup depending on which report you want to believe.
The Telegraph doesn’t actually say he’s been sent home, only that he’s been ordered to leave the team’s camp (that’s the headline on the article anyway): “Rajevac felt insulted by the player’s protest and on Sunday asked team manager Opoku Afriyie to make the necessary arrangement to ensure Muntari’s hasty his departure from the camp.”
But according to the Guardian, the Ghanaian has only been reprimanded and will be allowed to stay with the team.
This all stems from an outburst after the Black Stars drew 1-1 against Australia. Muntari reportedly complained that he should have had a more prominent role in the match (he was only subbed in at the 77th minute) before going on a tirade where he banged lockers and talked trash about the technical staff.
A report surfaced in a German publication that there was a subsequent altercation on the team bus between the coach and player.
Mutari’s friction with manager Milovan Rajevac began well before the World Cup even started. First he asked for a seperate room from the rest of the team before Ghana’s friendly against Holland. Then Muntari sought medical attention outside the team staff when he was in London before a warm up match against Latvia.
Acording to the Times: “Rajevac even refused to shake Muntari’s hand when getting on to the team bus en route to training on Sunday morning.”
This is all excellent news for Ghana as they are the only African nation with a realistic chance of making the knock-out rounds. So a star player possibly getting Anelka’d or simply being the catalyst for an implosion is just what the entire continent needs right about now. Good to see profile players continue to put their egos above the team when it really matters.
On the plus side Muntari hasn’t been very prominent of late (hence the outburst)in the side and the Black Stars have still done ok.
Love all the team players at this World Cup! I’m guessing Sulley caught this entitlement from Inter teammate Mario Balotelli.
If only Sulley Muntari had half of Mario’s talent. Sulley of late has become something of a Dadaist provocateur. There was an utterly insane moment last season — during that strange period when Inter were losing their title lead to Roma — when Sulley came on as sub for Cambiasso during a game against Catania. The match was tied at 1 – 1, he promptly got a yellow card and a red card in a minute, giving away penalty that Giuseppe Mascara scored with a very cheeky chip. Anyway, it was one of the most self-destructive things I have ever seen during a game, without rhyme or reason. Ever since then, I have feared this surrealist’s reappearance on the field for Inter.
As for Mario when Italy manage to squeeze a heroic draw from Algeria this week, I will be vindicated for my heterodox view that Balotelli shld have been in the Italian squad. He’s a striker of genius; he has the speed and guile of a whippet in the penalty area. Everything Italy’s strike force is lacking (with exception of Di natale who Lippi like to bring on too late in the game). He has stretched everyone’s patience this year — even his captain Javier Zanetti, a man with the patience of Job — but he’s still just a teen and cld still be one of the greats.
Balotelli or Cassano would have helped solve Italy’s problems up top, but that’s what you get with Lippi. He’s intractable that way.
I still don’t believe his age