Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan insists referee Jerome Damon was wrong in sending him off during their African Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan and has told the South African official to watch the tape of the match again.
The Sunderland forward apologized to fans of the Black Stars for his second half that drained the squad in the latter parts of the game as they were held to a goalless draw by the less-fancied side.
Gyan attempted to get the Sudanese keeper on his feet after he theatrically went to ground for no apparent reason but other players from the visiting side pushed the Ghanaian.
But the highly-respected striker hit back which resulted in the referee’s decision to give him his marching orders and Gyan says the referee should have considered all the events.
“I saw one Sudanese defender telling his keeper something in his language and all of a sudden the keeper went down,†Gyan said.
“So I went there to tell him to stand up because it’s not professional and the Sudanese players rushed on me, one pushed me and I also retaliated.
“So the referee had it wrong, he got all wrong but he has told me he will go back and watch the tape, so I hope he does…but I do apologize for everything.â€
Gyan, who is very passionate when playing for his country, has been no stranger to controversy in his international career especially after missing a crucial penalty at the quarterfinal of the World Cup in South Africa in July.
He nearly walked out of the Black Stars squad at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008 after he was severely criticized by local pundits on radio.
Since then he has won over his critics with impressive displays for his country and is considered one of Ghana’s key players.