Just hours before their crucial match here against Portugal here Thursday, Ghana suffered a serious set-back as the Ghana Football Association (GFA) expelled two key players - Suley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng - from the World Cup squad for indiscipline.

GFA in a statement said that both the players have "been suspended indefinitely". Boateng used "vulgar verbal insults targeted at coach Kwesi Appiah" while  Muntari was guilty of an "unprovoked physical attack on an executive committee member".

GFA said that AC Milan's Muntari assaulted Moses Armah, a member of team management, Tuesday.  

The 27-year-old Boateng, who plays for German Bundesliga side Schalke 04, hurled vulgar verbal insults at coach Kwesi Appiah during the team's training session in Maceio earlier this week.

"Boateng has since showed no remorse for his actions which has resulted in the decision. Boateng's accreditation for the 2014 World Cup has been withdrawn with immediate effect," the federation said in a statement.

This comes a day after the Ghana government sent more than $3 million in a chartered plane to Brazil to pay the squad after the players threatened to boycott their final group match against Portugal.

Ghana need to beat Portugal and hope there is a winner of the match between Germany and United States to make it to the second stage of the World Cup.