Asamoah Gyan has announced that he is to take an indefinite break from international football after coming in for heavy criticism.
Ghana striker claims 'verbal abuse' has become too much
Asamoah Gyan has announced that he is to take an indefinite break from international football after coming in for heavy criticism.
The 26-year-old is considered to be a leading figure in the Ghana camp, with the Black Stars looking to their high-profile performers to lead them into a brighter future.
Gyan has, however, struggled to produce his best while donning the colours of his country in recent outings and feels the time has come to step out of the limelight.
The striker, who has been loaned out by Sunderland to Arab outfit Al Ain, has taken the decision to stand aside in the wake of Ghana's failed 2012 Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
They were considered to be among the favourites heading into the tournament, but fell at the semi-final stage to eventual champions Zambia.
Gyan missed a crucial penalty during their last-four showdown, with that failure adding to the spot-kick heartache he suffered in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup.
Frustrated
He says the 'verbal abuse' being aimed in his direction has now become too much, forcing him to put his international career on hold.
"My decision had the full backing of family and friends," Gyan said in a letter sent to the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The GFA is, however, hoping that Gyan can be talked around once the dust has settled on the country's latest failure to secure continental success.
"The Ghana Football Association has received a letter from striker Asamoah Gyan announcing his decision to take a temporary break from the Black Stars," read a statement released on the organisation's
official website.
"My Gyan is frustrated over the verbal abuse he has received since playing for the country at the 2012 African Nations Cup.
"The GFA is in talks with Mr Gyan to urge him to reconsider his decision."
