Gyan puzzled about captaincy fuss

Asamoah Gyan will lead Ghana out of the dugout against the Flames this weekend, but the Al Ain player does not like the continuous obsession over who should be captain of the team.

His comments are a response to John Painstil's concession of the captaincy of the Black Stars to him on Wednesday. Paintsil, a senior player in the side, had told Angel FM of his discussions with Kwesi Appiah earlier this week. His comments were in the local Akan language.

"When I joined the camp I called the coach and I told him that since Asamoah Gyan had captained the Black Stars to a win against Malawi in Ghana, it would be good to boost his morale for him to know that the work he is doing for the nation is appreciated," said Paintsil.

But it is not clear if it is for good or for the team's game against Malawi game only. Asamoah Gyan led the Stars to a 2-0 win in Accra, despite the pressures the job added to his self-confessed psychological problems following a 2012 Nations Cup to forget.

The Al Ain player handled the captaincy with confidence, assisting in team play and eventually playing a big role in the team's first goal.

"I will leave the armband for him so that he continues to be captain. When I first joined the training, Asamoah Gyan’s commitment to training was good. He showed determination. He showed leadership and willingness to die for the nation. So if a player like this captains the team in Malawi I don’t think there should be any problem at all."

Paintsil was however not clear on whether this will be a permanent decision, especially as John Mensah is the Stars' general captain. But for Asamoah Gyan himself, the fuss over who should wear the armband is quite ridiculous. He also spoke in Akan.

"John, who has played in the national team for a long time, is my brother and my very very good friend. So far I really do not see why people are so worried about the captaincy because what is important is that Ghana will win all our matches starting with the Saturday game."

Asamoah also confirmed that John Painstil has spoken to him on the issue, but was also not emphatic on whether it would be a permanent decision or not. Attempts to reach the Ghana FA to clarify the issue have proved futile that far.