World Cup Qualifiers: Asamoah Gyan's Penalty Remarks Were 'Unfair To Ghana' - Charles Taylor

The Black Stars striker has been chastised for having an unfavourable opinion on the controversial spot-kick.

Former Ghana playmaker Charles Taylor is the latest to slam Black Stars legend Asamoah Gyan for speaking his mind against the national team’s crucial penalty in their recent 2022 World Cup qualifier against South Africa.

Gyan, like Black Stars right-back Andy Yiadom, believes the first-half incident, which ultimately set up the match-winner and progressed the West Africans to the next round of the qualifiers, may have been exaggerated to sway Senegalese referee Maguette N’Diaye.

The 1-0 win put the hosts Ghana on top of Group G by virtue of a superior scoring record and crashed South Africa’s hopes of making an appearance at the World Cup for the first time since 2010.

"If I were in Asamoah Gyan's shoes, I'd not comment on this South Africa penalty saga,” Taylor said on Angel TV.

“His comment was unfair to Ghana as a legend. He shouldn't have made that comment knowing he is a former captain and a huge figure.

“Sometimes you don't have to have an opinion on everything, especially when you know your status. Someone will also argue that he, Gyan, was awarded some soft penalties when he played, but he didn't say they were soft so he would reject them. He scored and celebrated.

“Why didn't he say he was honest and reject them then?”

Taylor’s comments follow similar remarks by renowned Ghanaian football administrator Alhaji Karim Grunsah.

The King Faisal Babes president said: “Asamoah Gyan is ungrateful and a pretender, he won’t even get the opportunity to become a ball boy, he should stop talking about the penalty against South Africa.”

Recently speaking during a radio interview, Gyan opined Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey may have made a meal of the touch when he went down under the challenge of South African defender Rushine De Reuck.

“I think the incident was a bit casual. From where I sit and how I saw it I think Daniel Amartey went down too easily but the referee was closer to the spot and probably had a better view of the situation,” the striker, who is Ghana’s all-time top scorer and most capped player, said.

“Remember the tempo of the game also could have influenced the referee’s decision to award the spot-kick.”

South Africa are currently challenging the outcome of the match to Fifa.