CAN 2008: Why hurt Asamoah Gyan threatened to leave camp

Former Ghana Black Stars skipper Asamoah Gyan has opened up on why he threatened to walk out of the camp of the Black Stars during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2008).

Ghana hosted the rest of the African continent during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

Asamoah Gyan was one of the key members of the Black Stars because he started making inroads with Udinese in the Italian Serie A, so much was expected of him.

The Black Stars edged their Guinean counterparts 2-1, courtesy of Asamoah Gyan and Sulley Ali Muntari’s late minute match-winner, but a lot of Ghanaian fans were not satisfied with the output of the former Rennes forward, so they hurled insults at him.

Asamoah Gyan threatened to walk out of the camp of the Black Stars, but the President of the Republic of Ghana at the time John Agyekum Kuffour intervened and he rescinded his decision.

In an exclusive interview with Pulse.com.gh the 35-year-old striker has revealed why he threatened to boycott the Africa Cup of Nations, following bashing from Ghanaians.

“At that time I didn’t feel any criticism, starting from the colts level it was like I was being pampered until that time. I didn’t know anything about criticism until that time," Asamoah Gyan told Pulse Ghana.

“I felt like the criticism was unfair to me because they criticized me and I think it was personal in a game that we won, which Ghanaian were expecting like 10-0. People didn’t understand what was going on at that time, so I thought I was treated unfairly.

“My mother called me and she was crying. I felt it wasn’t the right time to do that in the middle of the tournament and I felt that the whole nation was against me and at that tender age, I was like 20 years, so I felt that the whole nation was against me.

“I sacrificed for the nation. I should have been out of the tournament, but I felt that because of the love I have for the country I decided to come because I had a contract to sign for Manchester City, but I ignored the contract. I remember my agent told me I should boycott the Africa Cup of Nations and go for rehab and go and sign the contract.

"But I told him the tournament was very important to me because Ghana was hosting it and I missed the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations and that (2008) would have been my first Africa Cup of Nations and Ghana was hosting, so there was a lot of things going through my mind so that was why I got hurt and I decided to just let it go.

Asamoah Gyan has played at seven Africa Cup of Nations and has scored eight goals in the process for the Black Starshe former Sunderland striker is Ghana’s all-time top scorer with 51 goals.

He now plies his trade in India for NorthEast United.