Former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan, has shed light on the circumstances surrounding his removal as captain ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations under then-coach Kwasi Appiah.
In an interview with Atinka FM, Gyan revealed that Kwasi Appiah was not the mastermind behind his dismissal as captain; rather, he was merely the messenger delivering the news.
While Gyan refrained from naming those responsible for his ousting, he hinted that it might have been a decision orchestrated by the Normalization Committee overseeing Ghana football at the time.
Despite the upheaval, Gyan maintained that he harbours no ill will towards Kwasi Appiah or those involved in the decision-making process. He even suggested that Appiah himself regrets having to deliver the news to him.
“The explanation wasn’t from the coach. I don’t want to go into details but it didn’t come from the coach. It was the period of Normalization Committee so I know it wasn’t coming from him. Kwasi Appiah will insist that it was his decision but I know it wasn’t his decision and he regrets doing it,” Gyan said.
Asamoah Gyan further shared insights into his conversation with Kwasi Appiah regarding the captaincy change.
Gyan revealed that Appiah faced difficulties persuading him about the responsibilities of the new role.
In response to Appiah’s challenges, Gyan stated that he proposed retiring from the team.
“I told him I did not understand the meaning of the role of ‘General Captain’. I asked what it was about and he outlined my duties which were to support him and support the players. I then reminded him that it is the same role as a captain so what did he want with the ‘general’ tag?
“I made the job simple for him by asking if I was being stripped of the captaincy or if I wasn’t part of his plans. His explanation wasn’t going well so I made it simple for him by offering to retire from the team.
I did not want my presence to create any form of tension in the camp so I offered to retire.
I had a change of mind after speaking to the president. After speaking to the president, I went there wholeheartedly with no negative mindset,” he said.
Barely a month before the 2019 AFCON, Kwasi Appiah rocked his own boat by naming Andre Dede Ayew as the captain of the Black Stars, as a replacement for Asamoah Gyan, who was still in the team.
Asamoah Gyan, who was compensated with the General Captain position, felt disrespected and retired from the team, a decision the legendary striker rescinded upon the intervention of President Akufo-Addo.