Kevin-Prince Boateng bruises national pride

By Ameenu Shardow

I cannot help but to feel insulted as a Ghanaian with the news Kevin-Prince Boateng has decided to quit the Black Stars.

I got even more aggrieved reading the reasons for his decision especially with knowledge of his struggle to break into the team before the 2010 World Cup.

People fought very hard to get Fifa clearance for Boateng amidst the public’s crave to see quality in its team as it embarked on its second world cup campaign.

And indeed, they were vindicated after the 24-year-old made sure the absence of Michael Essien in the team was minimally or in essence never felt as Ghana equaled Africa’s record in the tournament.

His success with the Black Stars on the flip side denied another player an opportunity to also excel and perhaps that player could have earned his dream move to say a Madrid, a Man Utd or an Inter.

His next performance for Ghana against Congo in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification showed clearly a dip in commitment levels, mind you at this time, he had secured a dream move to AC Milan on the back of an impressive World Cup showing.

And the explanation for his below par performance subsequently was attributed to a rift between him and Coach Goran Stevanovic.

He probably might have a case against the coach but one thing I am most certain of is that the coach is always the authoritative voice in any team, he is always the boss and no player, I repeat, no player can take his place.

I am at least happy he has finally come out to call it quits rather than tolerate an environment he is clearly not happy with.

Ghana has seen better players in the past. Better players have sacrificed their lives and careers in otherwise a better profession to win four solid African titles of which many of us now boast of today.

They were never rewarded, elated and appreciated like we do to our players in this age but one thing that could never be contested was their commitment to the national course – something that is gradually becoming a rarity these days.

Is the Black Stars team better off without a KP Boateng considering the certain negative signals he is sounding to the rest of the team with his behavior? My answer will be a definite yes.

I just pray that no official or individual will rise up years later to crave for his inclusion because perhaps he had just won the Best Player of the Year.

Quality is always good but is very bad for a team if that quality in question tends to be a destructive one.