Gyan makes U-turn on Black Stars retirement; ready for AFCON call up

A presidential intervention has caused Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan to rescind his decision to permanently retire from the Black Stars and not to participate in the upcoming African Cup of Nations.

“A presidential request is one that cannot be disregarded,” the Ghanaian international stated in a statement issued a while ago.

Gyan, 33, announced his retirement from the nation’s senior men’s soccer team with the pretext that the captaincy would be handed to another player at next month’s Cup of Nations, a move he said is unprecedented.

“Through such periods, there were no times substantive captains were part of a team in a tournament and had to surrender their captaincy to other players and served different capacities,” he said in his statement on Monday, May 20.

He went on to mention former captains Stephen Appiah and Richard Kingson – who are coincidentally current members of the Stars’ technical team – as witnesses of his conviction.

President Akufo-Addo on May 21 phoned the Kayserispor striker to rescind his decision, consequent to which he has obliged.

“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 Appia” he said in the statement.

The statement, however, did not say whether Gyan has now agreed to join the team without the captain’s band.