Sports News of Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-04-20Five controversial statements Asamoah Gyan has made ahead of book launch
Former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan
Former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan is currently on a media tour to raise awareness about his book lunch scheduled for Saturday, April 30.
He has, as a result,
Read full articlebeen engaged in several Black Stars-related conversations which Gyan in some cases gave a plain response to.
Here are five controversial statements Asamoah Gyan has made ahead of the book launch.
Salisu should be called to the Black Stars
Asamoah Gyan during his tour had his say on the most debated topic, should Mohammed Salisu be invited to join the Black Stars for the World Cup?
Salisu has reportedly declined three Black Stars call-ups on account of not being ready.
According to Gyan, if Salisu is ready to play, he should be considered for the World Cup.
“Why not, he is not only the best defender in the Premiership, but the Premiership is also the best league in the world,” Gyan said on Peace FM
“If he is rated among the top three defenders, definitely he is eligible to play for the national team if only he is in the plans of the coach and he [Salisu] has it in mind to play [for the country].
“Definitely, he should be ready for the national team, but it will depend on him and the technical team.”
I was betrayed at the Black Stars
It's been four years without a word from Asamoah Gyan since he was stripped of the Black Stars captaincy ahead of the 2019 AFCON.
Finally, he let the cat out of the bag.
“I felt betrayed when the captaincy was taken from me because the people who know what actually ensued will tell you that they know that I was betrayed; that’s all I can say,” he said on Asaase Radio
I wanted to punch Luis Suarez
Asamoah Gyan's penalty miss at the 2010 World Cup might be the biggest nightmare of his football career.
He faced series of attacks and insults after blowing Africa's chance of making history at the World Cup on African soil in 2010 against Uruguay.
Speaking with Peace FM, he revealed that the attacks and insults echoed in his head when Sunderland faced Luis Suraez' Liverpool in the Premiership.
He said it almost propelled him to punch Suarez who saved Dominic Adiyiah's goal-bound header to cause the penalty.
“I remember the game between Sunderland and Liverpool. We were playing at home on that day and all players were shaking hands. I wanted to hit him [Suarez] because people had said things that stuck in my mind.
“I was naïve at that time but when I thought about it later, I realized that I had to let it go because I would have done the same thing if I was in his position,” Gyan said on Peace FM.
Stephen Appiah encourage me after missing Uruguay penalty
Asamoah Gyan, speaking with Kwame Sefa Kayi on Peace Fm's Kokrokoo was asked what were the exact words of Stephen Appiah after missing the decisive penalty against Uruguay in 2010.
"He was encouraging me, I was very worried and we were going to the penalty shootouts. He told me he knows what I can do and I'm the first penalty taker and I shouldn't think I won't play in the penalty shootouts. It was because of him I took part in the shootouts. Although, I wanted to play, what he told me motivated me to play. So he was telling me not to think that I won't take part in the shootouts because I have to play,"
There has been debate over Gyan's response as some believe per the viral picture that was captured during the moment, Appiah lashed out at him.
Baffour Gyan was treated unfairly
When he went to Asaase radio, he made a revelation about his older brother, Baffour Gyan, saying his brother lost love for football due to unfair treatment at the Black Stars.
“It happened to my brother [Baffour Gyan]. In 2006 [when Ghana qualified for the World Cup for the first time], he played 90 percent of the qualifiers, and then they brought strikers who had never tasted one game [for the tournament in Germany]. He was on the standby [list],” he said.
“That was when my brother gave up on football. He doesn’t follow football, he doesn’t watch it, he doesn’t like it, he’s purely a businessman. Sometimes people have to be treated fairly.”
Gyan added: “No player would like to be [left out], especially having played all the games. When these players come, they don’t even play one game. They just sit on the bench, get their bonuses and go, they don’t compete.
“If they bring these players, they have to show us something, they have to prove to people that they deserve to get into the team, that’s all I want. We all want the national team to be better.”
View his Timepath below:
