'Gyan will remain Black Stars Captain'

The return of ‘absent’ senior players in the Black Stars squad in recent times has sparked rumours about the captaincy of Asamoah Gyan.
Gyan was announced captain of the Black Stars at the latter part of the 2012 Nations Cup Qualifiers upon his return from ‘temporary’ retirement - a decision which surprised many at the time.
Opinions were initially divided, especially when the Ghana Football hierarchy and the Black Stars handlers had pointed out that appointment of a captain for the senior national team was based on seniority.
Current captain Gyan, by the measure would obviously have not earned his position with players like Derek Boateng, John Paintsil, Sulley Muntari and the ‘excused’ Michael Essien still who are the Al Ain striker’s seniors in the team around.
Muntari who missed out of the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa due to injury made a return to the Stars squad when Ghana faced Sudan in Kumasi four months ago and was surprisingly handed the captain’s armband by ‘substantive’ captain Gyan.
Gyan explained the rationale behind his decision to allow Muntari lead the team in the Sudan game as a show of respect to his ‘senior’ who was absent when he took over the leadership of the Black Stars. Gyan’s gesture seems to be misunderstood with many reading meanings into his decision.
Recently, rumours have emerged that the senior players are not in agreement with the decision to have Gyan lead the team with Muntari alleged to have demanded to be allowed to captain the side again for the June World Cup qualifiers in Khartoum and Maseru.
Sounding ‘enough is enough,’ the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi in an interview with Montie FM, has sharply denied the growing rumours and quelled doubts over Asamoah Gyan’s captaincy.
“Asamoah Gyan is our substantive captain. Nothing changes; everybody must rally behind him. He was appointed captain by the coach prior to the Nations Cup in South Africa. Over the years, the captaincy has been more or less based on seniority. Aside from seniority, you must also have leadership qualities. In deciding to make Gyan the captain while there are seniors in the team before him, you surely inform them of your decision and court for their support for him.
Muntari, Paintsil and Derek Boateng who were the three senior players still in the team at the time were informed and they all agreed according to the coach [Kwesi Appiah]. After confirming him as the captain, all of you [players] are in duty bound on Asamoah Gyan so if anybody later has a change of mind, it doesn’t hold because he’s been made the captain already,” he said.
“I don’t believe Sulley would have a change of mind or tell us he wasn’t informed before Gyan was announced captain of the Black Stars,” Nyantakyi said.
Muntari himself has distanced himself from the rumours and stated his disinterest in being the Black Stars captain.