Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Member of Parliament for the South Dayi constituency, has made a startling claim, asserting that former Black Stars forward Asamoah Gyan deliberately missed his penalty at the 2010 FIFA World Cup due to political motivations.

Gyan’s missed penalty occurred in the last minute of extra time during the quarterfinal against Uruguay, preventing Ghana from becoming the first African country to reach the World Cup semi-finals. Dafeamekpor, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), alleged that Gyan’s action was politically influenced, suggesting that Gyan, known for his support of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), intentionally withheld glory from their rivals, the NDC.

In an interview with Radio XYZ, Dafeamekpor expressed his opinion, stating, “I am of the opinion that Asamoah Gyan intentionally threw away that penalty because it was under NDC. It’s today that I’ve come to the realization that he threw away the penalty in the 2010 World Cup and the Africa Cup because the glory would have come to the NDC.”

Dafeamekpor’s comments followed Asamoah Gyan’s recent interest in serving on the manifesto committee for the NPP’s 2024 election candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. The MP criticized Gyan for accepting the position, arguing that as a national figure, he should not align himself with a specific political party, especially given his widespread respect from both main political parties.