Dafeamekpor apologizes to Gyan for penalty miss allegation

Ghanaian

Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dayi Constituency, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has issued an apology to former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan after insinuating that Gyan intentionally missed a penalty during the 2010 FIFA World Cup to undermine the then NDC-led government's recognition.

Dafeamekpor's comments arose following Gyan's recent political alignment with the

Read full articleNew Patriotic Party (NPP), critiquing his involvement in the NPP's campaign activities for the upcoming 2024 elections.

Gyan was appointed to lead the sub-committee on Youth and Sports in the NPP's campaign structure and joined Dr Mahamudu Bawumia's Manifesto Committee.

Expressing concern over Gyan's political affiliation, Dafeamekpor emphasized that public figures like Gyan should maintain a neutral stance in political matters.

In a radio interview, Dafeamekpor commented, “I can reasonably say that it is because of partisan politics that he intentionally missed the penalty; for this government (NDC) to get all the glory, he won’t play to score the penalty.”

However, in a tweet today, Dafeamekpor retracted his statement and issued an unreserved apology to Gyan, stating, "The Black Stars & other National Teams have iconically rallied & carried our passions, dreams and aspirations for glory to the world. Upon reflection & calls from people like Kenpong, I retract & unreservedly apologize to Asamoah Gyan, for my comments".

Asamoah Gyan, Africa's all-time top scorer in the World Cup with six goals and the Black Stars' all-time leading scorer with 51 goals, retired from professional football in June 2023.