‘They were afraid’ – Asamoah Gyan slams Black Stars teammates as ‘cowards’ for 2010 World Cup penalty miss

Ghana’s all-time leading goal scorer, Asamoah Gyan, has hit out at his former national teammates in an emotional outburst on Instagram.

Gyan went live on Instagram this afternoon to address a number of issues, including the circumstances surrounding the infamous penalty against Uruguay in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

He spoke freely and passionately about things that appeared to have been on his mind for a long time and seemed to have finally found his voice to call out situations he was not happy with during his playing days. One of those is the narrative surrounding that last-gasp penalty he missed to earn Ghana a historic feat as the first African country to make it to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup.

Gyan questioned the narrative that he purposely missed that crucial spot kick in the quarter-finals.

How could anyone even suggest that I missed the penalty against Uruguay on purpose? How? For what exactly?

Baby Jet, as he’s also known, was not happy with the notion that he should have left the penalty for another team. Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah picked the ball before Gyan stepped up to take the penalty. A scene many have interpreted as Appiah wanting to take the penalty on that faithful day inside the FNB Stadium.

But, Gyan described that as ridiculous and said his other teammates were afraid. He labelled them as cowards.

When the penalty miss happened, I was getting abused and called names because others said I should have left it to others. Why didn't the others step forward to take it? They were afraid. Cowards. I will say it. They are cowards.

Gyan discusses his rivalry with Andre Ayew.

“Andre has genuine love for me, but he’s been brainwashed by people who have their own personal interests.”#PulseSports pic.twitter.com/tOLNlOtQQA

— Pulse Ghana (@PulseGhana) January 2, 2025

The former Sunderland striker has suffered constant abuse for missing that penalty despite scoring in the penalty shootout in the same game.

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