Ghanaians forced me to retire - Richard Kingson

The former goalkeeper has claimed players are wrongfully criticised in Ghana leading to their early retirement from the game.

Former Ghana goalkeeper Richard 'Olele' Kingson has revealed that constant criticisms from Ghanaians led to his early exit from the sport.

The 39-year-old made his debut with the Black Stars in 1996 as a teenager, hanging up his boots in 2015 after Great Olympics were relegated from the Ghana Premier League, before opting for a coaching course.

He is the current goalkeeping coach of the Black Stars following the return of Kwesi Appiah.

“It’s like they (Ghanaians) are now blaming themselves but I don’t blame them," Kingson told Starr FM.

“Sometimes, when we [the retired players] go and play in [fun games], some people come and say Richard you are still strong, you can still play for the national team but I say no, I’ve stopped.

“Ghanaians don’t look at your performance, they only consider where you come from, your age and that leads to retirement but age is just a number,” he added.

Kingson made 90 appearances and scored one goal for Ghana. He was part of the squad that qualified to the nation’s first Fifa World Cup tournament in 2006. He was also the first choice at the 2010 World Cup.