Ghanaian striker Alex Asamoah has angrily denied claims he's quit football for 'palm wine' tapping, urging local journalists to 'read books' if they lack content in the wake of the crisis that has engulfed the game in Ghana.
The 32-year-old, who plays for Premier League new-boys Techiman Eleven Wonders, has been in the news this week after his image popped up on social media tapping the locally brewed alcoholic beverage, which has gone viral.
The former Aduana Stars striker is seen fetching the wine from a palm tree with a blue gallon.
Circling media reports have claimed the former Asante Kotoko striker has exchanged the boots with palm wine tapping in his native village in Ghana due to the suspension of domestic football.
But he has angrily reacted to the reports as ridiculous.
"I was at home and saw an old man tapping palm wine so I joined him to have a feel of how it like to do it," he told Kumasi-based Otec FM
"It's like going to a village and you end up snapping a picture. This picture was taken and has been in my album for a very long time. I don't know who took it and leaked it on social media to paint a different picture.
" I am not better than a palm wine tapper.It's a noble work but it's absolutely untruth that I have stopped playing football to engage in the trade.
"I leave whoever leaked the picture for mischievous purposes to God. I have nothing to say to him. I am not bothered about the brouhaha that has characterized the image on social media.
"It's not fair to take someone'e picture and put it on social media and make stories out of it," he fumed
The ex-Setif arrow man criticized journalists for publishing falsehood about him.
"If you don't have content, find a book and read. I have not stopped playing football. I am like Asamoah Gyan, the more you talk about me, the more I get fired up to silence critics.
Ghanaian football has been on ice for two months after an investigative piece by controversial journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas revealed widespread corruption in the game.
Local football has been left in a state of comatose as government attempts to dissolve the Ghana Football Association.
The future of players have been left in the lurch amid no end in sight to the current confusion.