The 2014 FIFA World Cup is an exciting time for African teams. Five nations qualified for the tournament — Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana. But right off the pitch, each team was plagued by controversy, both before and during the tournament. Now that Africa has seen the last of its teams sent out of the event, here’s a look at the 10 biggest controversies of African teams at the 2014 World Cup.
Sources: DailyMail.co.uk, NYTimes.com, Economist.com, UK.EuroSport.Yahoo.com, ThePatriot.com, TheGuardian.com, SMH.com.au
After Cameroon failed to win any of its group-stage matches, there were allegations that players collaborated to lose intentionally. Investigations have begun to see if the claims have any merit, especially after a known fraudster forecast the 4-0 loss to Croatia, along with the prediction that somebody would be sent off during the match (midfielder Alex Song was given a red card just before halftime for an elbow to the back of the neck, leaving Cameroon down a man for the second half). The Fédération Camerounaise de Football (Fecafoot) has instructed its ethics committee to continue to probe into the scandal.
Before the Cameroonian team even stepped onto Brazilian soil, controversy was already brewing, as players demanded their appearance fee for the World Cup before they would board the plane. The Cameroonian government managed to come up with the cash, but not before the team’s arrival was already delayed by one expensive day.
Following Cameroon’s lead, Ghanaian players refused to practice and threatened to strike in their upcoming game against Portugal. The Ghanaian government had to fly in $3 million in cash to Brazil to appease the players, and the team went on to play, though it lost to Portugal 2-1, ending its run at the World Cup.
One day after the Ghanaian team received its cash, Nigerian players followed suit and refused to practice, despite their upcoming matches. Eventually, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan had to intervene, reassuring players they would receive their fees upon completion of the tournament.
As the drama unfolded between Ghanaian players and their football association, the decision was made to send home midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, one of Ghana’s best players. According to rumors, he verbally abused James Kwesi Appiah, Ghana’s manager, during a team meeting. Since his return home, he has spoken with media representatives about the Black Stars organization, describing the incident and its handling as amateurish.
Source: TheGuardian.com
Tensions continued to run high as central midfielder Ali “Sulley” Muntari was also sent home for an alleged “unprovoked physical attack” on a member of the football association committee. Media outlets reported that Muntari slapped Moses Armah Parker, a business magnate and executive committee member of the Ghanaian Football Association, and proceeded to pursue him with a broken bottle.
Source: Mirror.co.uk
Before the World Cup began, the police were informed that officials connected to the Ghanaian Football Association were preparing to rig friendly matches between the Ghana side and international competitors. Footage was delivered that featured two members of the management committee of the Ghana under-20 team, Christopher Forsyth and Obed Bketiah, promising to rig matches by selecting the officials for the friendlies, and “greasing palms” to influence the end score.
Source: TheGuardian.com
In the middle of their match against Croatia, Cameroonian defender Benoir Assou-Ekotto headbutted his teammate, forward Benjamin Moukandjo. Some have speculated that the move was in retaliation for Moukandjo’s suspected involvement in alleged match fixing. Assou-Ekotto may have been trying to send a message to his other teammates. The match ended in a 4-0 defeat for Cameroon.
Vahid Halihodzic has long been seen as arrogant and flippant by the press, and has never had what one would call a warm relationship with the media. He made more enemies, however, when he publicly accused reporters of trying to undermine the Algerian team and actively working to ensure that they would not succeed at the World Cup.
Since the Nigerian team won the African Nations Cup 18 months ago, controversy has followed, causing headache after headache for coach Stephen Keshi. Essential backroom staff were sacked, and Keshi himself went six months without pay. The Nigerian Football Federation’s financial difficulties caused concern for players and staff alike.