German midfielder Jerome Boateng will play against his brother Kevin-Prince Boateng when Germany plays Ghana on Saturday. (EPA Photo/Andreas Gebert)
The Germans, on the other hand, will want to secure their position on top of the group with another win, after having beaten Portugal 4-0 on Monday. This alone should add enough fuel to fire on the pitch.
But this game also features another interesting aspect: the showdown of two brothers, Boateng vs. Boateng.
For those not in the know, Jerome Boateng plays as a defender for Germany, while his older half-brother Kevin Prince — same father, different mothers — is a midfielder for Ghana.
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time the brothers are meeting each other on the World Cup stage. Four years ago, Germany and Ghana were also drawn into the same group, and back then, it was the first time ever that two brothers played against each other during the World Cup.
At the time, however, Jerome and Kevin Prince were not only opponents on the pitch; they were actually not on speaking terms. When it came to the obligatory handshake prior to the game, Kevin Prince didn’t even look his brother in the eye.
It was Kevin Prince whose tackle on Germany’s Michael Ballack during a league game shortly before the World Cup resulted in an injury that prevented the former captain to travel with his teammates to South Africa. Ballack, in 2010, was regarded as one of Germany’s best players and a crucial component in coach Joachim Loew’s tactics and line up.
German fans were quick to put the whole blame on Kevin Prince, and he became the country’s enemy Number One overnight — but it reached a level of nastiness that included death threats and resulted in Kevin Prince being seriously worried about the well-being and safety of his family; he reportedly asked
them to leave Germany for a while until things cooled down.
It was not an easy situation for Jerome, who suddenly was put into the media spotlight as well. The press happily labeled them “bad brother” and “good brother.” In the book “Die Brueder Boateng” (The Brothers Boateng), written by German sports journalist Michael Horeni and published in April 2012, Jerome’s mother recalls how the situation even affected her: working as a flight attendant, her name tag read “Boateng” — and after a while she couldn’t bear the questions of the passengers anymore. She also didn’t want to explain that she was the mother of Jerome, not Kevin Prince, and that’s why, in the end, she simply removed the name tag.
Journalists also continuously asked for a statement from Jerome: did he think that his brother’s tackle should have been a red card? What did he think about the fact that the captain of his own team, Germany, would miss the tournament because of something his brother did?
Jerome tried to avoid such uncomfortable questions as well as he could, yet for Kevin Prince, it was not good enough: he allegedly wanted his brother to take his side; just as he had always done when they were kids. When Jerome didn’t do so — at least not in public — Kevin Prince broke off all contact.
The Germany-Ghana game ended in a 1-0 win for Jerome’s side, but despite the defeat, Ghana also progressed to the round of last 16. Later in the tournament, Germany finished third, while Ghana lost to Uruguay in the quarterfinals — one of the most heartbreaking games of the whole World Cup which was decided by a penalty shootout.
This time, in Brazil, the setup may sound all too familiar, yet the situation is quite a different one. Jerome and Kevin Prince have put aside their differences. Perhaps the older brother realized that Jerome wasn’t at fault after all, or maybe Jerome acknowledged that he should have supported Kevin Prince more than he did.
We don’t know what happened, but on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, the Boateng brothers prove that they have reconciled. Photos show them together on vacation and during family events, and they voice support for one another ahead of important games, and when the occasion calls for it (for instance, when Kevin Prince walked off the pitch after being racially abused by the crowd, Jerome was one of the first to congratulate him).
The brothers last season have already played against one another on club level in the Bundesliga — Jerome plays for Bayern Munich, Kevin Prince for FC Schalke 04 — and while there isn’t any love lost between them on the pitch, they were seen talking and laughing together after the final whistle.
While Kevin Prince surprisingly and to his dismay wasn’t in Ghana’s starting line up against the USA (neither was Michael Essien, although both of them belong to the mature, experienced players of the squad) and only came off the bench in the second half, Jerome injured his right thumb in the clash against Portugal but is expected to play with a special brace.
Whether Germany or Ghana will win on Saturday — although most experts favor the Germans — at least the brother playing for the losing team can expect a comforting hug from a family member afterwards.
By Katrin Figge on 10:45 am Jun 21, 2014
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