Kevin Boateng Snubs Ghana

German under-21 international, Kevin Boateng, has turned down an offer to play for Ghana at the World Cup finals later this year, the German sports newspaper 'Kicker' has reported.

The 18-year-old, who this season has broken through into Hertha Berlin's first team, said he had made a decision although it had proven a difficult choice.

Boateng has a Ghanaian father and German mother and was born in Germany, where he has lived all his life.

“I'm hoping to be at the European Under-21 Championships in the summer and to win that with Germany," he said.

Last year, Boateng played for the German Under-19 side that reached the semifinal of the European Under-19 Championships.

Hertha Berlin manager, Dieter Hoeness, said it would have been a big pity for German football had Boateng decided to play for Ghana.

Ghanaian-born Gerald Asamoah played for Germany at the last World Cup finals where they lost to Brazil in the final in Yokohama in 2002.