(THE GUARDIAN) - Asamoah Gyan has made a rapid U-turn on his decision to retire from Ghana duty and will now play at the Africa Cup of Nations, after being told by the nation's President that it is "in the national interest" that he reconsiders.
"A presidential request is one that cannot be disregarded," said the former Sunderland striker in a statement. "I have taken the request of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in good faith and will make myself available for selection by coach Kwasi Appiah to help win the Afcon trophy."
Gyan turned his back on the team only 24 hours earlier after reportedly being dropped as captain but Mr Akufo-Addo was concerned that Gyan's decision had caused such uproar among the Ghanaian public that he personally contacted the striker and used his influence to change his mind.
"President Akufo-Addo spoke on the telephone with Asamoah Gyan, and informed him of the considerable national disquiet over his decision to retire from the Black Stars," the spokesman for the president, Eugene Arhin, said in a statement.
"The President urged him, in the national interest, to rescind his decision to retire from the Black Stars, and make himself available for selection by coach Kwasi Appiah."
Having said on Tuesday (May 21) he was retiring to avoid fuelling "the purported undermining the country has seen under my captaincy", Gyan's love for the national team appears to have been rekindled after Akufo-Addo's telephone call.
"My desire to help Ghana end the over three-decade long wait to annex the Afcon trophy still burns strong, and I remain committed to serving this great nation and the people of Ghana," said the 33-year-old.
Gyan, who played in three World Cups, is Ghana's record scorer with 51 goals in 106 appearances and currently plays for Kayserispor in Turkey. It is unclear whether he will still have the captaincy at the Africa Cup of Nations or, as was widely reported in Ghana, it will be handed to André Ayew.
Football: Man City come from two goals down to reach FA Cup
"At times we played really good football but it can, and it must be, a lot better on Sunday," said Van Dijk. "There were times where we did not put enough pressure on them and were sloppy and lost the ball. "Against Germany we can expect a completely different game and we all realise that. We know what we are capable of."
NBA Finals 2019: Warriors may have just begun greatest comeback of their reign, yet it feels completely empty The loss of Durant cast a shadow over what was an impressive comeback win
Cornerback Covering Tips - Be A Great Cornerback
Weary feet to blame for England's fall, Football News & Top
Amerika Utara, Tengah dan Selatan. Piala Emas Concacaf; Liga MX Meksiko
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 23, 2019, with the headline 'Rival fans in S'pore believe title race still wide open'. Print Edition | Subscribe
Nicole Chia, News & Top Stories - The Straits Times
MUNICH, Germany: Bayern Munich won a record-extending seventh consecutive Bundesliga title on Saturday after crushing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 to finish two points ahead of rivals Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich win Bundesliga title for seventh successive season
Soccer Football - Premier League - Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool - Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - December 21, 2018 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal wit
Liverpool seal Christmas top spot as Salah and Van Dijk sink
LONDON: Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes has been appointed manager of Oldham Athletic, the club announced on Monday. Scholes, 44, is taking on his first managerial role, signing a contract with the club he supported as a boy after spending his entire playing career at Old Trafford.
Man United great Scholes appointed manager of Oldham - qod16.com
Mauricio Pochettino: Spurs manager charged with improper
Home » blog » Arsenal have the easiest title run in of the top 4 teams [Graphic] Share with Facebook Tweet on Twitter Send Email Copy to Clipboard Arsenal have the easiest title run in of the
Liverpool and Arsenal favourites to miss out on a place in
Atletico Madrid moved level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona after Antoine Griezmann's second-half penalty was enough to see off Espanyol 1-0 on Saturday. Griezmann smashed home from the
Football: Griezmann fires Atletico level with Barcelona
sportstons.com/soccer/football-griezmann-fires-atletico-level-with-barcelona/
Football: Griezmann fires Atletico level with Barcelona MADRID (AFP) - Atletico Madrid moved level on points with La Liga leaders Barcelona after Antoine Griezmann's second-half penalty was enough to see off Espanyol 1-0 on Saturday (Dec 22).
Football: Griezmann fires Atletico level with Barcelona
The Spanish champions were dumped out of the Champions League despite taking a 3-0 lead to Anfield and the fall out could be serious for Coutinho and for coach Ernesto Valverde as well. Some
How to say axe in Spanish - wordhippo.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment