Richard Olele Kinson is arguably the best pair of hands Ghana has been blessed with in recent times. His life both on and off the pitch has been a life worth emulating for any young sports man who wants to excel in sports and any other field for that matter. He has been a man who never gives up even if all the odds are against him. Many had written him off before the 2006 world cup in Germany as life in Turkey turned sour when he was banned from the game for failing a doping test in the 2004/2005 season. The name Richard Kingson was virtually dead in the Ghanaian football discourse but before the 2006 world cup he suddenly emerged from nowhere to give then number one goal keeper Sammi Adjei a tough competition for the position which he eventually won and kept for three consecutive tournaments from 2006 to 2010. Kingson’s career has been full off struggles to prove his critics wrong from his days in Turkey, where he naturalised and took on the name Faruk Gursoy through to England, but in all, he has always come back strongly to prove his critics wrong.

Kingson has done a lot for himself and Ghana football, but I personally believe that the time has come for him to bow out honourably at this time that the applause are still high or risk bowing out with no applause at all but rather with jeers and boos, because that is what happens when one over stays his time on the scene in any field including football. There comes a time in the life of a sports man when the soul is whiling to give more to the game and the fans but the body just fails to support the whiling soul. Richard Olele Kingson has gotten to that stage and must look around and a take a cue from the likes of ex Holland and Manchester United goalie Edwin Vandersar and Oliver Khan who bowed out honourably when their bodies started showing signs of unwillingness to play along with the soul. For a high profile goalie like Kingson to go as low as signing for a bottom table team in a low profile league just to stay in action in order to gain a call up to the national team should be enough evidence to show that the lights are dimming on the stage, indicating that time for the exit of Olele from the stage has come.

I think Kingson should rather advice himself and ignore the voices in the public that keep advocating for his inclusion to the Blackstars squad for Brazil 2014, (I bet we are already there, the second leg is just a formality) for it will serve him well if he ignores those voices which I believe is one of the reasons why he keeps harbouring the hope of coming back to the number one position. We were all in this country and saw what happened to Edward Ansah when he tried a forced come back while everything was pointing to fact that his body was not ready to carry him any further. Olele can still contribute to the success of the Blackstars without necessarily being on the playing field, I think this, he knows very well.

Mr Richard Olele Kingson a.k.a Faruk Gursoy, I know it is very difficult to say goodbye to something you are emotionally attached to but as the Akans say ‘’obarima b3y33bi na wanb3y3 ninyinaa.’’ You have played your part and I believe the time is right to say goodbye, for never in your career has there been so much public tussle as to whether you should be called into the Blackstars or not. This is a bad omen (I believe in superstition) telling you that your time has come to say goodbye after a relatively fruitful career with the Ghana Blackstars

This is my opinion and as the by now tired saying goes ‘’Opinions are like noses, everybody has one.’’

BY :KENNETH NII YEBOAH (NUBI YEBUA)