Sports News of Thursday, 20 June 2013

Source: ghanasoccernet

Appiah forgives Muntari after rude reaction

Sulley Muntari has escaped heavy punishment for his unruly reaction to his substitution in Ghana’s 2-0 win over Lesotho in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

The AC Milan star reacted angrily to his substitution in the second half of the game in Maseru and refused to sit on the bench as he headed straight into the dressing room.

The 28-year-old who is currently one of the senior players in the Black Stars is reported to have apologised to the technical team for his unruly behaviour after the game.

Many, however, believe the former Inter Milan ace ought to be handed severe punishment to serve as deterrent for such future acts.

But Ghana coach Akwasi Appiah says Muntari will not be handed any severe punishment following the gross remorse shown after the game.

“Sometimes in the heat of the moment when playing the game, players can react in several ways,” he told Accra-based Asempa FM.

“However, it is the conduct of the player after the game that shows whether the act was deliberate or not.

“And as far as I am concerned, he showed a lot of remorse over his act, and therefore, we need not hand him any heavy punishment as it has the potential to worsen matters.”

Muntari is no stranger to unruly acts with the Ghana national team, but has conducted himself extremely well in recent times.

His latest negative episode thus comes as quite a surprise and a massive disappointment to his numerous fans.