Why I seized Sulley Muntari’s passport – Former Portsmouth chief reveals

Michael Edward, who is now close to a return to Liverpool as sporting director, is quoted by ace sports journalist, Collins Atta Poku, to have said during an interview that he had to cease Muntari’s passport to ensure that the Ghanaian winger renewed his contract with the club.

Edwards added that after Portsmouth’s FA Cup conquest in 2008, he quickly agreed a deal with Inter Milan for the sale of Sulley Muntari as Portsmouth, who were in financial turmoil, needed the money to survive.

“I seized Sulley Muntari’s passport and told him to sign a contract before I give it back to him. I was a young man and this was my biggest test as sporting director. I needed to get it right or my entire career was going to collapse. The day after we won the FA Cup, I sold him to Inter Milan. I did that because we had to save Portsmouth and also help him progress in his career,” he is quoted to have said.

Michael Edwards reportedly also offered his views on the personality of Sulley Muntari, noting that he is not the controversial figure media publications seek to portray.

He mentioned Muntari as his favourite Ghanaian player but also mentioned Mohammed Kudus as another one who has caught his eye.

“He is a different person to the one you people know in the media. An angry and fiery left-footed player. He’s not like that. He is very calm, shy and hardly talks. He is my favourite Ghanaian football player, but today, it looks like Kudus wants to compete with him,” he said.

Sulley Muntari, in 2008, joined Inter Milan in a deal worth €14 million plus bonuses. He went on to win the UEFA Champions League with Jose Mourinho’s team of 2009/2010.

The legendary Ghanaian player, in 2020, opened up about playing under Jose Mourinho and their relationship post-football.

“We were a great team, built by two great people in Massimo Moratti and Jose Mourinho,” Muntari told Derbyderbyderby.

“We won everything. The relationship with Mourinho is still very good today. We are always in touch. We speak to each other almost every day, we have a chat consisting of the treble winners. Almost every morning someone writes something.

“Apart from the four who always tease me: Orlandoni, Materazzi, Chivu and Sneijder, everyone else is a good guy. He [Balotelli] was just a child in that Inter team.

“Marco Materazzi and Dejan Stankovic loved him. When me and him played together at AC Milan, I didn’t feel that he had changed. He never changes but he has matured,” he shared.