Former Black Stars skipper CK Akunnor has backed Asamoah Gyan and the Ayew brothers, Andre and Jordan, to continue playing for the national team despite calls from sections of the public for them to retire.
According to the Ashanti Gold coach, the under fire trio are being treated unfairly especially with their critics dwelling so much on their performance against Congo Brazzaville in Kumasi.
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Gyan and the Ayew brothers became the objects of scrutiny during Ghana’s uninspiring 1-1 draw with the Red Devils at home in a world cup qualifier.
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And the trio’s absence – due to injuries and illness – in Ghana’s 5-1 drubbing of Congo in Brazzaville has led to talks of them losing their relevance to the Black Stars team.
CK Akunnor, though, believes such calls are misplaced, adding that the trio still have important roles to play in the Black Stars set up.
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"There’s a time when players will come and go. Others will also come on board and pay their dues but for us to say that Asamoah Gyan and Ayew brothers, who didn’t play on Tuesday, to retire prematurely isn’t the best,” the former Ghana captain said in an interview with Abusua FM.
"I think the calls for the head coach to stop calling those players are unjustifiable because these same players you are calling for their exit are the same players who have won matches for the Black Stars in the past.”
According to him it would be unfair to retire these payers prematurely despite all that they have given to the nation, insisting such a move will only breed bitterness.
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"When you begin to do this, you retire players and they go with some bitterness which isn’t good for the country. These players won’t play for the national team forever. They will certainly leave but the question is should we just sack Gyan and the Ayew brothers simply because they performed poorly in one match?
"Absolutely no! That would be unfair to these players after all the years of commitment."
The former Dreams FC boss also commended Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah for introducing some young faces into the team, in the absence of the aforementioned trio, saying “going forward he has to continue doing that to help the team win matches."