GHANA Black Stars skipper Asamoah Gyan has once again had to do damage control about his on-off relationship with compatriot Andre Ayew, son of the legendary Abedi Pele.
The Group D leaders, who have three points after defeating Uganda 1-0 thanks to an Ayew penalty on Tuesday, are gearing up for a big match on Saturday, when they face Mali in their second group match at the Stade de Port-Gentil.
But rumour has it that the 31-year-old Gyan was in another cold war with Ayew before their clash with Uganda.
The two are reportedly at loggerheads over the team captaincy. It is believed that Ayew wants to lead the club under head coach Avram Grant.
It was further reported that Gyan threatened to leave their camp in Port-Gentil on Monday to catch the earliest flight back to Ghana after another argument with Ayew over the leadership. He was apparently convinced to stay.
Gyan just laughed off the reports, labelling them “misleading and damaging to the Ghana brand.
“There is a lot of negative stuff coming from back home. There is no conflict between me and Ayew. Everybody in camp is happy.”
On Tuesday Ayew was certainly playing to the crowd, waving at fans and encouraging them to make noise and cheer after converting the penalty that downed Uganda’s Cranes.
He believes they could have done a bit better against Uganda, he says, but fatigue had taken its toll on them. They arrived in camp late and have been playing catch-up ever since, after having to fly from Accra to Dubai and then to Libreville just to get to Port-Gentil.