Written by Mark Gleeson | From Reuters

High hopes of a strong performance by African teams at the World Cup have been swept away in a wave of controversy encapsulated on Thursday by the expulsion from the tournament of two Ghanaian players.

Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari have been sent home for disciplinary reasons as Ghana, who were the continent’s form team coming into the tournament, were plunged deeper into crisis just hours before they attempt to stay in the World Cup in their final group game against Portugal.

It added to an image of squabbling players and officials more interested in the cash rewards of the World Cup than achieving success on the field, entrenching stereotypes Africa had been hoping to dispel in Brazil.

Ghana, who must beat Portugal in Brasilia on Thursday to stand any chance of reaching the last 16, have been in crisis since the start of week, boycotting training to force payment of promised money which arrived at their hotel on Wednesday.

Brazilian television showed pictures on Thursday of defender John Boye kissing a wad of dollars and other images of an unidentified official handing out cash from a large envelope.

Media reports said the players had received between $75,000 and 100,000 each after the country’s president flew over $3 million to appease the mutinous players, who wanted payment in cash rather than by electronic transfer.

Cameroon set the tone on the eve of the tournament by delaying their departure for Brazil as they squeezed an extra $10,000 per player from their federation. An expensively chartered jet from Angolan airline TAAG waited almost 24 hours before departing with the team for Brazil.

Almost predictably, Cameroon became the first side mathematically eliminated after a 4-0 loss to Croatia in their second group game during which key midfielder Alex Song was sent off for a needless elbow in the back of an opponent to become the seventh Cameroonian red-carded at a World Cup.

Read more at Reuters