Kuffuor Ejected For "Indisipline"

Ghana on Monday ejected key defender Samuel Kuffour from the African Nations Cup for "real indiscipline", coach Fred Osam-Duodu told AFP.

"I took the decision to send him home because of real indiscipline," Osam-Duodu said here. "He has shown he is not a changed man by coming here to destablise my team."

Kuffour plays for German and European champions Bayern Munich, but instead of positively influencing the team he has been accused of destroying the team's harmony.

"This is a boy who calls me 'father'," Osam-Duodu said. "I raised him up to be what he is today only for him to want to destroy what I have worked hard to build."

The veteran coach and Kuffour had first clashed on the eve of Mali 2002. The problem between coach and player was only resolved when Kuffour apologised for scathing comments made against the coach on BBC Radio.

"If he had not apologised, he would not have come to Mali with this team," added Osam-Duodu, who admitted Kuffour's departure would not affect his team at this tournament.

"We won't miss him," he told AFP.

"During our training tours in Europe and Africa we made our mark without him. He was not a part of this team in the first place.

"I only thought his presence will encourage the other boys but it has been the complete opposite. He was not a changed man at all," he added.

Osam-Duodu added: "Against Morocco yesterday (Monday), we played one of our worst games yet because the players in the defence were always trying to pass the ball to Kuffour instead of playing their normal game.

"We have just come back from training now and the spirit of this team is up again after his departure."

Top Ghana officials told AFP the Bayern star defender was a "bad influence" on the young players.

"He has continued his fight for his friend, CK Akonnor, over the captainship of the Black Stars," one official told AFP.

"We gave him (Kuffour) the captainship of this team and he turned it down because he does not want to be seen as somebody who snatched the leadership of the team from his good friend. This was his personal decision and we respected it.

"However, we could then not understand why he came to camp and started bossing everyone around. He instigated the other players to wear whatever they like in camp not minding the fact that we have a kitting contract with adidas," he said.

"He even went to the extent of confronting our sports minister over money. It was he who told some of the players not to go to the stadium to watch the opening match in our group between South Africa and Burkina Faso.

"It was just too much for us to bear."