President Nana Akufo-Addo has placed a phone call to Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan to rescind his decision to retire from international football.
Gyan quitted the team over a captaincy row with coach Kwesi Appiah.
“Upon consultation with my family and team, and as an active footballer and captain of the National team, if the decision of the coach is to give captaincy of the tournament to another player while I am named in the team for the tournament, I wish to recuse myself from the tournament.
“I also wish to retire from the national team permanently; not pretending my presence would not fuel the purported undermining the country has seen under my captaincy,” Gyan said in a statement Monday.
Following his announcement, President Akufo-Addo summoned the sports minister, the management committee head of the Black Stars and the Ghana FA boss to a meeting at the presidency.
“President Akufo-Addo, subsequently, also 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 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,” the director of communications at the presidency Eugene Arhin said.
The striker on Wednesday served notice he will issue a statement later on Wednesday.
Later today, my manager @AnimSammy will be speaking on my behalf regarding my retirement from the national team. I will also release a statement based on the telephone discussion with the president @NAkufoAddo
— ASAMOAH GYAN (@ASAMOAH_GYAN3) May 22, 2019
Gyan made his international debut at the age of 17 and scored on his senior International debut for Ghana against Somalia on 19 November 2003 in the 90th minute. Since then, he has gone on to make 106 appearances for the Black Stars scoring a total of 51 goals
As the all-time leading goalscorer of the Ghana national team, with 51 goals, he represented Ghana at 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. With 6 goals, he is the top African goalscorer in the history of the World Cup. Gyan has also represented Ghana at the 2004 Summer Olympics and in seven Africa Cup of Nations in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017, helping them finish in third-place in 2008 and runner-up in 2010 and 2015.
Source: Daily Mail GH
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