Why Gyan was chosen to lead Ghana
by Gary Al-Smith 24 October 2012, 09:47
. The Al Ain forward was the overwhelming favourite after a broad consultation and displayed leadership qualities which put him ahead of everyone else.
"Why I chose Gyan? It was simply because he commands respect from everyone. You cannot deny that he has been consistent for the team and he has shown a lot of leadership material, too," the gaffer told supersport.com, insisting that the decision was not taken in isolation but with the consent of the big names at the FA."
Appiah stressed the importance of diplomacy in the whole enterprise. "We need to be realistic. Everyone knows how the Black Stars was divided in my time because of captaincy matters, so for me, the most important thing is not even Gyan being chosen as captain, but the process. Things must be done right, so that is what I have tried to do."
Among the key talking points of Gyan's choice was the clear departure from the traditional consideration of seniority when making such decisions. John Paintsil (81 caps) was widely expected to take the armband in the event John Mensah, Sulley Muntari (74 caps, 18 goals) and Michael Essien (52 caps, 9 goals) were not given the role for some reason.
"Trust me, Paintsil is more happy to be part of the team rather than being the captain at all cost," revealed Appiah, saying that his own position as former Black Stars captain puts him in a good position to know what to look out for. He also reiterated to supersport.com that it is no secret that John Mensah "is an inconsistent player in the team, unfortunately, because of his injury situation which we hope will be better in the future."
The coach also notes that the timing of the decision, three months before kickoff of the African Nations Cup, is to make the country and team used to the decision so that stability is ensured before the tournament starts.
He told supersport.com: "We all agreed - the players and the staff - that this time is the best time to tell the whole country because it will ensure stability which is important."
Looking into the future, Kwesi Appiah preferred not to speak on the potential of Gyan's successor, saying that "Asamoah is the captain now, let's all make sure he can lead the country to glory and after his time is over we will deal with that."
