Gyan accuses teammates of abandoning him over infamous Uruguay penalty miss
Asamoah Gyan took to Instagram Live on Thursday afternoon, expressing deep emotions and slamming his former teammates for not supporting him during one of the most challenging moments of his career.
The former Ghana international voiced his frustration, accusing his 2010 World Cup teammates of abandoning him after his infamous penalty miss against Uruguay.
Gyan addressed lingering questions about whether someone else on the team wanted to take the penalty, firmly asserting that he was the designated taker and dismissing any claims that he missed deliberately.
“When the penalty miss happened, I was abused and called names because some people said I should have left it for someone else. Why didn’t they step up to take it? They were afraid. Cowards. I will say it—they are cowards,” Gyan declared.
“How could anyone suggest that I missed the penalty against Uruguay on purpose? For what reason exactly? I was Ghana’s first-choice penalty taker. Why would you go behind my back and talk about me missing the penalty? The fans can say what they want, but sometimes we need to educate them. Yet, nobody spoke up for me.”
He has faced relentless backlash over the miss, which occurred in the tense quarter-final clash that saw Ghana lose to Uruguay in a penalty shootout, dashing their hopes of becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
Although Gyan converted his penalty in the shootout, he appeared hurt as he recounted the incident. He expressed disappointment that his teammates, who know the full story, never defended him when he faced criticism.
The 39-year-old retired from football in 2023 after a remarkable career, which included becoming the most prolific African player in World Cup history with six goals. He is also Ghana’s all-time top scorer with 51 goals.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.