Ghanaian footballers are just human beings like you and me. They have emotions and it is the reason why they weep when they end on the losing side. They also shed tears even when they lift a dream trophy. This is the main reason why fans and lovers of the game always have to be circumspect with how they criticize them.
Are professional footballers abused in Ghana?
Yes, Asamoah Gyan has been abused by football fans since AFCON 2008 which was hosted by Ghana. Gyan squandered many clear-cut chances in the tournament. At a very young age (22) then, Gyan disclosed that he was so new to sharp criticisms and hence decided to leave the camp because his mother called him and was weeping due to the heavy insults from Ghanaians. It took the intervention of the Ghanaian president John Agyekum Kuffuor which helped the youngster to have a second thought of his decision. Since Bay Jet’s penalty miss against Uruguay in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he has been constantly abused by many Ghanaians.
Baba Rahman was targeted and booed in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers in Kumasi and has since then decided to not return to the Black Stars. Players have failed to speak out but it is obvious they have been abused by Ghanaians and authorities of our football.
Gyan’s emotional outburst
Baby Jet’s emotional breakdown was extremely tough to watch, listen to, or read. The all-time Black Stars top scorer was pretty unhappy with how he has been treated since 26th June 2010. The night was so disastrous as he missed a crucial penalty at the Soccer City in Johannesburg in front of 84,017 spectators in the quarter-finals of the World Cup against Uruguay.
Asamoah Gyan moved on from that heartbreak and continued his fine form for the national team culminating in the 2015 AFCON finals where Ghana surprisingly lost on penalties after a gruesome goalless draw in 120 minutes against Ivory Coast.
Live on Instagram on 2nd January, Bay Jet was filled with emotions and made shocking revelations including referring to his teammates against Uruguay as cowards.
Gyan blasts coward teammates
“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,” he declared.
The camera spotted Gyan taking the ball from Stephen Appiah when the penalty was awarded against Uruguay after Suarez handled the ball on the goal line.
Many have speculated that the ex-Black Stars super striker forcefully wrestled the ball from Appiah and he missed it.
Asamoah Gyan had in that tournament scored from the spot kick against Serbia and Australia. He continued his fine form with a sumptuous strike against the USA in round 16th to help Ghana book a semi-final berth. Baby Jet was right even if he had wrestled the ball from Appiah because he was Milo’s designated penalty taker. Gyan was laden with confidence after scoring three times for Ghana before the USA match. Simply, Asamoah Gyan was Ghana’s best player so he was right to take the penalty.
“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.”
For his mates or anyone who occupies a big position in Ghana to think that he missed it on purpose is purely insane and ignorant. Asamoah Gyan feels betrayed by his mates for failing to speak up. The former striker was so emotional and believes his mates should have spoken out to defend him all these years. Penalty missing is part of the game as football greats like Roberto Baggio, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and David Trezeguet among so many players have missed it at a very crucial stage.
Gyan’s assertion suggests that he has been abused emotionally for quite a long time. Truthfully, Ghanaians who witnessed Gyan and Muslera at the Soccer City will always recall the moment the Ghanaian striker failed to beat the Uruguayan goalkeeper from 12 yards. It will take centuries before that moment will be forgotten.
Professional footballers go through a lot because they have to satisfy millions of fans. This is the aspect of the game that Ghana has no plans to develop to help the boys get a great mentality when facing opponents recently. Ghana’s disastrous 2024 was not horrible due to the coaches’ ineptness alone but also psychological problems were part of the issues the team faced which led to their downfall.
Gyan praises Nyantakyi and subtly jabs Kurt’s administration
“When Nyantakyi was the GFA president, look at where Ghana football was. Nyantakyi was never the kind of person who allowed internal bickering. He wouldn’t accept selfish agendas.
“Nyantakyi’s refusal to bow to the demands of a “yesa massa” culture made him a target for those who sought to manipulate the system for personal gain. If someone came to him with selfish reasons, he wouldn’t accept it. That’s why they wanted him out. Since his removal as GFA president, have you seen what has become of Ghana football?”
“Nyantakyi was leading us somewhere. He became CAF Vice President; one of the strongest people in African football. But because he wouldn’t entertain their selfish interests, they sabotaged him. They found a way to remove him from his role. People didn’t agree with how Nyantakyi was leading, but the truth is he was doing well. Look at where Ghana football was under his leadership, and look at it now. It’s clear who the problem was.
Gyan’s comparisons of Nyantakyi’s 12-year reign and Kurt’s 5-year reign depict that the 39-year-old is fed up with the latter’s leadership.
Ghana’s football is in crisis, unquestionably, and Kurt Okraku must sit up and look out for plans to save it. The praises Baby Jet showered on Nyantakyi were so romantic as he revealed that the boss was never interested in bickering and personal interest. Gyan’s words must not be taken for granted in our bid to revive our fallen football status.
Gyan on Black Stars’ captaincy
Captaincy issue has given Ghana serious problems since the early 1990s with the never-forgotten Abedi Pele and Kwesi Appiah’s saga still on the minds of Ghanaians. It prevented Ghana from winning AFCON, and qualifying for the World Cup because it divided the players.
During Stephen Appiah and John Mensah’s days, the Black Stars flourished because peace reigned around the captaincy. The Abedi-Appiah early 90s spirit visited Ghana when Gyan was the skipper.
“A young player would come to the national team only wanting to see me, but their attitude towards me would change in a few days due to what people have told them,” Gyan said.
“So during my tenure as captain with the team, I was alone and only delivered on the field because players had been brainwashed,” he added.
Gyan disclosed that he was disrespected as the captain of Ghana because the new ones were brainwashed against him. He felt so lonely at the top all because many had the agenda to take the captaincy away from him.
Gyan on Kantamanto market disaster
The emotionally drained Gyan suggested that the unbelievable disaster at the Kantamanto Market could have been caused by either NPP or NDC.
“It can be NPP or NDC, Gyan said. The NPP can burn the place to irritate the people, whilst the NDC could use the fire as a secret plan to clear the space for a project,” Gyan remarked.
He also theorized that the NDC might exploit the disaster to secure reconstruction funds, while the NPP could use the situation to tarnish the opposition’s image.
Gyan continued, “I’m not taking sides because I don’t want to be used again. So, when I’m talking, I’m talking. I don’t take anyone’s side.”
Asamoah Gyan feels being used by one of the two biggest political parties in the country. It was rumoured recently that Gyan had lost a whopping $3 million after actively involving himself with one of the parties.
Baby Jet’s live Instagram outburst was so emotional that he even wept. His revelations must be properly analyzed because it is so obvious that the past and present Ghanaian footballers have a lot to reveal. Ghanaian footballers pass through a lot when playing for their respective national teams but they fail to share their epiphanies. Gyan has opened the floodgate and many more must speak out now.
Ghana bids to revive its football and the first step is to address the corrupt and unacceptable practices that happen at the headquarters of the Ghana Football Association.
Asamoah Gyan enjoyed a stellar 16-year career with the Black Stars after winning 109 caps and scoring 51 goals making him the all-time top scorer for the national team.
