Ghana’s all-time top scorer, Asamoah Gyan, has criticized his former Black Stars teammates for their lack of support after he missed a crucial penalty against Uruguay in the 2010 World Cup.
During an Instagram Live session, the Ghanaian legend called his teammates “cowards” for not stepping up to take the penalty themselves and for failing to defend him against public criticism.
“Anyone could have taken the penalty. Why would I deliberately miss it and disgrace Ghana? You were all afraid of the pressure. Everybody was scared—cowards,” he stated.
“And then someone claimed they wanted to take it, but I took it. Why won’t you come out and affirm it if it’s true? You were happy to let them insult the taker. None of you came out to speak, deny it, or explain that I was the first-choice penalty taker.”
Gyan accused his teammates of using the incident to damage his reputation, as he was the face of the team.
“The fans can say whatever they like, but you, my teammates, should have defended me. Instead, you were scared, and when they mentioned my name, you kept quiet while I faced it all alone. I was loved by the people, and yet you instigated them to speak ill of me,” Gyan added.
Gyan’s missed penalty in the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals against Uruguay proved costly, as Ghana narrowly missed out on a semifinal spot, ultimately losing in a penalty shootout.
Have a news story, press release, or opinion piece you’d like to share with our audience? We’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to us at editor@metrotvonline.com
