Ghana: Under Fire Richard Kingson Debate Rages On

David Tagoe

10 June 2011

In the run up to the Black Stars African Cup of Nations qualifier at the Baba Yara Stadium, the team’s long-time agile goal tender, Richard Kingson reportedly had a bust up with a football fan, who made unsavoury remarks about him in respect of what appears to be his perpetual monopolization of the Black Stars’ post.

In the opinion of that fan, Kingson has had his epoch as well as having become washed up, and so he should give way to others to tend the Black Stars’ post. The goalie did not take the remarks lying down, and attempted to beat the hell out of the fan, but for the timely intervention of some officials. This made him announce his retirement from the team, but was once again prevailed upon by officials and good sense prevailed.

What happened at the Ohene Djan Stadium that day elicited divided opinions from football fans and administrators with former players also expressing their opinions without any encumbrances from any quarters.

On Friday June 3rd and after sixty minutes, the Black Stars had raced into a two-goal lead after a very difficult barren first half. Expectations on the day were that Richard Kingson, who has been told by Blackpool to look for another club would prove to all, that he has not lost his goalkeeping adroitness.

But that was not the case. He surprised everybody but himself when he dawdled in dealing with a loose ball only for the Congolese attacker, Matt Moussilou to outsmart him to hit a feeble one, which John Mensah vainly tried to prevent.

For some people, that was justification enough for what the fan did to Kingson at training ahead of the match – some think complacency has set in because he lacks competition in the Black Stars, while others are of the view that he should be benched for others to be tried.

However, on Tuesday when the Black Stars played South Korea in an international friendly match, it was the ‘over used’ Richard Kingson, who tended the post in a match he should have used to placate those disappointed in him. But again, Kingson failed, as he conceded two bad goals during the match, the worst of the two being the second in the dying embers of the match. That second howler in a matter of four days has further exacerbated chastisement from the difficult-to-please Ghanaian soccer fans, whose call for Kingson’s retirement has intensified. This has even driven discussions being held on radio as to whether Kingson should call time on his international career or he should be given the official elbow from the team after serving the Black Stars so faithfully, following his return from the team ahead of the Germany 2006 World Cup, where he dazzled the world with his goalkeeping prowess.

As the call for his exclusion from the team intensifies, one question the realists, impartial and those endowed with objective minds keep asking is, who takes over from him? This question is predicated on the fact that there is a gulf between Kingson and the other goalies in terms of quality, calibre, temperament and experience.

In the midst of the intense Kingson debate, a former skipper of the Black Stars, who played alongside Kingson, C. K. Akunnor has jumped to the defence of his ex-teammate, saying Ghanaians bring footballers under the compulsion to call time on their career prematurely.

Charles Kwabena Akunnor’s defence of Kingson comes on the back of circumstances that led to his retirement from the national team when he was not finished with his football career.

Akunnor thinks those calling for Kingson’s exitare being unfair to him. He thinks Kingson has acquitted himself so well prior to his recent slumps, and in his view, these recent howlers should not be used as the basis for his exit from the team.

It is not only C. K. Akunnor who has jumped to the defence of Kingson, as a former national team goalie, Abukari Damba, who was a third choice goalie for the Black Stars in the early 1990s has also opined that Kingson should not be turned into a receptacle of blame.

Instead of blaming Kingson, Damba is of the view that the system should be blamed, as it has failed to nurture more goalies for the national team.

“We need to build the confidence and competence levels of the other goalkeepers so that they take over. There are a lot of good goalies around and given the chance, they can prove their mettle though it will take a while.

We’ve got the talents, but we are not harnessing them for our benefit”, he remarked.

AllAfrica – All the Time