Ex-Ghana coach, Kwasi Appiah has defended his decision to strip Asamoah Gyan of the Black Stars captaincy and hand the armband to Andre Ayew.
Gyan served as Ghana’s captain for nearly five years but saw the armband taken away from him just weeks before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Appiah, who was the national team coach at the time, made the veteran striker the general captain while picking Ayew as his new skipper.
The decision did not enthuse Gyan, who announced his retirement from the national team, but made a U-turn following President Akufo-Addo’s intervention.
Explaining his decision to take the captaincy from Gyan, Appiah said a skipper must always be on the field to represent the coach and command his colleagues.
He further stated that he doesn’t have any problem with Gyan, who became captain of the Black Stars during the 62-year-old’s first stint.
“I see captaincy as when you are on the pitch you represent the coach and take command of all the players,” Appiah told Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on YouTube.
“The decision that I took I sat and thought about it and at that time nobody loves Gyan more than me. During my tenure, he helped me along the way he was the one striking.”
He added: “When we were going to the Cup of Nations in South Africa John Mensah was the captain.
“That time John wasn’t in Ghana so I called him and told him John I have moved you to general captain I am giving the captaincy to Asamoah Gyan. I took that decision when I took the decision then I informed the authorities that this is the decision I have taken.”
Meanwhile, Appiah has indicated his readiness to take the vacant Black Stars job if it’s offered to him.
Source: Modern Ghana