2010 World Cup: Asamoah Gyan intentionally missed penalty against Uruguay - NDC MP

Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, a Member of Parliament for South Dayi under the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has stirred controversy by suggesting that former Ghana football icon Asamoah Gyan deliberately missed a crucial penalty during the 2010 World Cup quarter-final clash against Uruguay.

During the match, Ghana's national team, the Black Stars, had a chance to advance to the semi-finals, with the score tied at 1-1. However, Gyan's penalty kick struck the crossbar, leading to Ghana's eventual loss in the subsequent penalty shootout.

Dafeamekpor implied that Gyan's alleged intentional miss was motivated by his political affiliation with the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In an interview with Radio XYZ, Dafeamekpor stated, "I am of the opinion that Asamoah Gyan intentionally threw away that penalty because it was under NDC. It’s today that I’ve come to the realization that he threw away the penalty in the 2010 World Cup and the African Cup because the glory would have come to the NDC."

He further asserted, "Asamoah Gyan is now part of the Bawumia campaign team. There is everything wrong with that because when you are a national figure and you become partisan I can reasonably say that it’s because of politics you threw that penalty away so that the NDC government will not get the glory. I am telling you that I feel the pain."

Dafeamekpor's remarks come in response to Gyan's recent appointment to the New Patriotic Party's campaign manifesto appointees for the 2024 elections, where he will head the sub-committee of Youth and Sports.

These comments add to the growing criticism questioning Gyan's impartiality following his involvement with the NPP.

Despite the controversy, Gyan remains a prominent figure in Ghanaian football, holding records such as Africa’s all-time top scorer at the World Cup with six goals and the all-time top scorer of the Black Stars with 51 goals.