Asamoah Gyan criticizes referee decision in Ghana-South Africa game
Amartey’s penalty sends Ghana to final phase of World Cup qualifiers
GFA hits back at SAFA over match fixing claims
Former Hearts of Oak midfielder, Charles Taylor has chided legendary striker Asamoah Gyan over his assessment of the match of between the Black Stars and Bafana Bafana of South Africa on November 14, 2021.
Taylor told Angel TV that Gyan, aware of his pedigree should not have claimed the penalty was soft.
He said that he could have declined to comment on the issue as his comments could affect the chances the Black Stars in winning the case.
“If I were in Asamoah Gyan’s shoes, I’d not comment on this South Africa penalty saga. His comment was unfair to Ghana as a legend. He shouldn’t have made that comment knowing he is a former captain and a huge figure. Sometimes you don’t have to have opinion on everything especially when you know your status,” said Charles Taylor on Angel TV.
Asamoah Gyan has incurred the wrath of some persons in the Ghanaian football fraternity after he expressed dissent to the call by under-fire Senegal referee Maguette Ndiaye.
Gyan noted in an Asempa FM interview that the soft contact between Amartey and his South African marker should not have resulted in a penalty.
“From where I sit and how I saw it, I think Daniel Amartey went down too easily but the referee was closer to the spot and probably had a better view of the situation.” he told Asempa FM.
The singular call by the Senegalese referee has become the highlight of the concluding matches of group phase of the World Cup qualifiers with South Africa hitting out at the referee and the Ghana Football Association.
The South Africans has alleged match manipulation and match fixing on the part of the referee and have petitioned FIFA to investigate and order a replay.
It however appears that reality is setting into their camp as head coach Hugo Broos has ruled out the possibility the match being replayed.
Hugo Broos hinted that the South Africa Football Association did not table cogent evidence to substantiate their allegation that the Senegalese referee was compromised.
“Fifa met on Tuesday,” Broos told HLN Sportcast. “We expect a decision in the course of this week. It’s not just about the penalty kick, it’s about the whole game. The referee made 71 decisions, 47 of which were foul. The analysis has shown that. And 90 percent of those 47 wrong decisions were against us.”
“You have to be able to prove something like that in black and white. Was he bribed? Wasn’t he pressured? Or was he just having a really bad day? The numbers are there, but is that enough for FIFA? I personally think that it will remain with a suspension for the referee and that we should not count on a replay.” he said.