Asamoah Gyan Will Remain Captain Even If Essien, Other Senior Players Return

Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi insists Asamoah Gyan will remain the captain of Black Stars even if Michael Essien and other senior players return to the squad. The uncertainty over Gyan�s captaincy emerged last month when it was rumoured that Sulley Muntari, one of the senior players in the squad, demanded to be captain of the Black Stars ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Sudan. Gyan was named the substantive captain of the Black Stars before the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in the absence of several senior players like Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Derek Boateng and John Pantsil. Before Gyan was confirmed, the Black Stars used seniority to appoint captains for the team but coach Kwesi Appiah opted for a new criteria by direct appointment like the European national team coaches. When Muntari returned to the Black Stars from his injury-induced absence, Gyan temporarily handed him the captaincy as a�mark of respect�, the Al Ain player said in March. However, with reports emerging that Muntari demanded the captaincy for last month�s game against Sudan, Nyantakyi insists the band will remain with Gyan for the foreseeable future even if senior players like Essien return. �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,� Ghana FA chief Kwesi Nyantakyi told Montie FM. �Over the years, the captaincy has been more or less based on seniority. Aside 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.