Apology could have saved Kevin-Prince Boateng from 2014 World Cup ouster – former Ghana coach
- Apology could have saved Kevin-Prince Boateng from 2014 World Cup ouster, says former Ghana coach James Kwasi Appiah.
Former Ghana coach, James Kwasi Appiah, has revealed that Kevin-Prince Boateng’s dismissal from the Black Stars camp during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil could have been rescinded if he had apologised.
Appiah, who is currently the head coach of the Sudanese national team, stated that Boateng’s dismissal was a personal issue stemming from his disrespectful behaviour.
Appiah shared that if Boateng had apologized for his actions, he would have forgiven him, and the player wouldn’t have been sent home.
He expressed disappointment that Boateng chose not to apologise, leading to his exclusion from the national team.
“It’s not about him fighting for the players because the players were fighting as a unit. His issue was personal. It’s about being disrespectful. For me, I was not looking at that because players can behave in some way like that.
“When it happened, I left it for two days thinking he would come back to himself and will come and apologise but he decided to carry on with his life. If he had come to say coach what happened I’m sorry I would have let it go,” Coach Kwasi Appiah said as quoted by footballghana.com.
Boateng was dismissed from the Black Stars camp during the 2014 World Cup, and the incident created controversy and discussions about player-coach relationships. Both Appiah and Boateng have since spoken about the incident, providing their perspectives on what transpired.
Kevin-Prince Boateng, who retired from professional football last year, had an illustrious career playing for top European clubs such as AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspurs, and Barcelona.