Asamoah’s marriage case; The dark cloud hanging over Ghana’s 2019 Afcon bid
By THOMAS MATIKOWhile Ghana football team will be seeking to put their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign back on track on Sunday in Ethiopia, other things which are unrelated to the match will be weighing heavy on the shoulders of their veteran team captain.
Back home in Ghana, Black Stars skipper Asamoah Gyan is presently entangled in a nasty marriage annulment proceedings with his wife of five years Gifty Gyan.
And while the time may not have been right, Asamoah will on Sunday lead his teammates against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa in the backdrop of a court ruling this week which compelled him to amend the name of his wife on his application for the annulment of their marriage.
MAIDEN NAME
This is after Gifty and her lawyers submitted an argument stating that Asamoah referred to her wife with her maiden name Gifty Oware in his application, instead of Gifty Gyan.
Gifty argued that it was insult to her to be referred by her maiden name in such a suit, having been together with the footballer for more than 15 years together.
The court found Giftys’ argument indefensible and asked Asamoah to go back and revise the document and refer to her as Gifty Gyan and wife.
PATERNITY TEST
It has been reported that Asamoah wants the annulment because he believes he didn’t father the three children with Gifty.
He has even requested for a DNA paternity test on each of the children to ascertain the truth.
Gifty, who met Gyan in 2003 before their marriage in 2013, is said to have been upset about the DNA test request, terming it an insult to their children.
NOT A DIVORCE
Contrary to media reports, Asamoah has all along maintained that their’s is not a divorce, but rather an application for an annulment of their marriage.
Meanwhile, it has also been reported that the couple’s marriage went south after the football player met Nina Atalah, a businesswoman in Accra who is also Jamaica’s reggae/ragga star Buju Banton former wife.
Asamoah was part of a star-studded Ghanaian national football team which held a three-day training camp this week in Nairobi enroute to Addis Ababa for Sunday’s crucial fixture.