AFCON 2015: Guinea goalkeeper Yattara won't apologise to Ghana's Gyan over injury inflicted
Guinea goalkeeper Naby Yattara says he won't apologise to Asamoah Gyan over his kung-fu style lunge that inflicted injury on the Ghana captain insisting it was not his intention to injure he attacker during their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final clash.
The France-based shot stopper rubbished calls for him to banned from the game for his career-ending tackle which has left the Black Stars skipper doubtful for Thursday's semi-final match between Ghana and Equatorial Guinea.
Gyan has flown from one end of Equatorial Guinea to the other for a scan on an injury that makes him doubtful for Thursday's African Nations Cup semi-final against the hosts.
He travelled on Monday from Malabo to Mongomo, where the only MRI scanner in the small country is located, after being kicked in the stomach by Guinea goalkeeper Yattara in the closing stages of Sunday's quarter-final.
Television replays have shown the keeper launching an attack on the groin area of Gyan with his foot up as the Black Stars attacker advanced towards goal which showed the intention to injure.
But Yattara says he won't apologise to the Ghana captain because he was only chasing after the ball and was not his intention to injure one of Africa's biggest talents.
"No no no. I will not apologise (for the tackle). It is not my intention to injure him. If it is my intention to injure him I will apologise but it is not my intention. If I apologise it means it was my intention to injure him," Yattara told reporters when asked whether he will apologise to the Ghana captain.
"It is not my fault. I went for the ball and it is normal for me to go for the ball to prevent him from scoring. If you see the game you will see that it is not my fault. If I lose the ball he will score.''
Ghana coach Avram Grant has called for Yattara to be slapped with a heavy ban after his kung-fu style lunge at Gyan who had broken free of the Guinea defence and was racing down on goal before being poleaxed.
Yattara was sent off but not before he also landed a punch on Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah who had gone to remonstrate.
"I'm frustrated because what he did is not acceptable," said Grant.
"He tried to hack Gyan in the last minute of a match we were already leading 3-0 -- it's a bad injury.
"If you hack someone deliberately in the stomach it means you possibly want to end the career of the player.
"It shows you do not respect the game and you do not respect those who play against you. When I saw it again on the TV replay I saw it was terrible," added Grant.
It has been an eventful tournament for Gyan who missed Ghana's first game against Senegal and climbed out of his malaria sickbed to score a stoppage-time winner in the second match against Algeria.
Ghana have since beaten South Africa and Guinea to reach the semi-finals for the fifth successive time.
Ivory Coast take on the Democratic Republic of Congo in the other tie in Bata on Wednesday.