Stephen Appiah, the former captain of the Ghana national team, has openly expressed his lingering disappointment over Laryea Kingston's absence from the World Cup tournaments.
Kingston, a prominent player for the Black Stars, was excluded from the squad following Ghana's first-ever qualification for the World Cup in 2006 in Germany due to a suspension incurred during the qualifiers.
Although Kingston made a comeback to the team and participated in all subsequent qualifiers, the then-head coach, Milovan Rajevac, decided to omit the former Hearts of Oak and Great Olympics winger from the final squad.
Appiah, who shared the field with Kingston for several years, believes that the winger deserved to play in the World Cup due to his sacrifices for the national team.
Reflecting on the situation, Appiah highlighted the naivety of the team in 2006 regarding the rules, citing the example of England including Rooney in their World Cup squad despite his suspension.
“We were naive [in 2006] about the rules…England took Rooney to the World Cup despite him being on suspension. If we had that knowledge in 2006, we would have pleaded with the GFA to add Laryea to the team because it was two games,” he said in an interview on Joy Sports’ Prime Take.
“I am [pained] because Laryea was one of the players that when I look back, even though we played at the World Cup in 2006 and 2010, it looks as if we were not complete.
“Not because of his football but he should have been there because of his sacrifices. He was part of those who sacrificed. To date, I still feel bad," he added.
Ghana made history by reaching the Round of 16 in 2006 and furthered their achievements by progressing to the quarterfinals in South Africa in 2010.
