No mutiny nor revolt by Black Stars players
There was no mutiny nor revolt by the Black Stars players before and after the ill-fated match against the USA in Natal last Monday, a senior member of the team has said.
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"We are here for serious business. The World Cup is the biggest stage in every footballer's life and we can't sacrifice that for petty issues", he intimated to the Graphic.
Very emotional about the issue, the senior member who, however, pleaded anonymity, said it was normal for players to express concern over issues such as appearance fees and disagreement with officials over some matters but these could not warrant a siege or mutiny in camp.
Without admitting whether, indeed, there was any such incident in the camp prior to the match against the USA, the member said things like that do happen in various camps with some reportedly rising to violent levels "but not with the Black Stars".
On the reaction of senior players who were benched, again he said, it was normal for players to feel peeved or bad when not used in matches that, in their expectation, they should have been featured.
"Every player loves to be on the field and seen playing for his country. And, especially so, when it is the World Cup, it also enhances their value and the premium placed on them by the respective clubs that they play for. So we must understand", he explained.
But he was quick to add that no player openly complained about why he was benched for the first half or not used altogether in the game against the USA as to lead to a revolt.
"You can only speculate by the behaviour or body language of the player that he is upset or not too happy with the coach's decision not to play him", he stressed.
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It will be recalled that following last Monday's 2-1 defeat by the US, speculations became rife attributing the loss to player dispute over appearance fees and other related matters.