Bad boy, Bad boy: An image that could spur on Germany in the World Cup?
South Africa could not have asked for a better controversy. Nothing like an moment of on field madness to get the World Cup party started.
Michael Ballack is out of the World Cup but the Ghana vs Germany game will probably be one of the most closely watched group games.

An olive branch:
“All I can do is apologise,” said Boateng, the half-brother of Germany international Jerome Boateng. “I was just too late and I hit him straight on. It looked stupid. I apologised to him twice on the field and now for a third time. I am sorry. It was not intentional.”
Legal Consequences:
Meanwhile, Boateng has been threatened with a lawsuit by Ballack’s lawyer, Michael Becker. He said that the former German national player faces “civil and criminal consequences” for his actions.
“Every spectator could see what Boateng has done and that was clearly a premeditated foul.”
” The football field is not above the law. Although Boateng believes that. “
The victimizer as victim:
Boateng’s father also entered the fray. He said Boateng is always portrayed as the bogeyman. According to him there is a history between the two players and there is some justification for the foul.
“I remember an incident from his Berlin days. Kevin had just scored his first goal for Hertha a week before the Bayern game. During the match Ballack stepped on Kevin’s foot. When Kevin asked what he was doing, Ballack said to him, ‘Shut up! Just because you shot a goal against Frankfurt, do not think you’re the greatest. “
Ballack has a reputation for trash talking but this is hardly an excuse for Boateng’s actions. Former Hertha manager Dieter Hoeness who knew Boateng well remembers the striker had serious issues with impulse control. To portray him as the victim in this case is laughable.
Media and internet warfare:
A Facebook group “82 million against Boateng” has seen a rapidly growing membership targeting Germany’s public enemy number one. Meanwhile, Boateng is getting no love on either side of the Channel with German and English broadsheets delving into every sordid detail of his past. Including a horrific kung fu style leg chop on Wolfsburg’s Makoto Hasebe a year ago that left the Japanese bleeding profusely in the face.

Torsten Frings as replacement:
Frings has been virtually ruled out by team manager Oliver Bierhoff. “Torsten has done an incredible amount for the national team, but after the analysis of this year, the coaching team reached the conclusion that he does not belong in our national team squad.”

But the chorus to replace Ballack with the Werder captain is growing. In a Bild poll 60% of Germans want him to play with a distant 21% for Sami Khedira, the first alternate. Frings had a very strong second half of the season with vital goals against Koln and Wolfsburg, to guide Werder to the third spot.
With 78 caps, an international reputation for hard, uncompromising tackles, blistering free kicks, and a young midfield that could be bolstered by his experience, the DFB might have no choice but to include Frings.
The Boateng factor:
Upto now all the talk has been Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, and England with the Germans as a less talented afterthought. But the Boateng factor could be a worrying sign for the rest of the competition. The German squad can look to this moment to spur them on in the World Cup. We have seen what happens when that Teutonic spirit is invoked.