Fred Osam-Duodu, the coach of the Ghanaian national team says he hopes to convince midfielder Alex Nyarko not to quit the side.

Nyarko, who plays for French first division side Monaco, says he has taken a final decision to retire from international football for personal reasons.

Osam-Duodu - a keen admirer of the strong defensive midfielder - says he respects the player's decision.

"Nyarko has taken a decision as a player, but I shall be speaking to him soon to find out what prompted him to retire from the national side," Osam-Duodu said.

"I will stop short of saying any more until I speak with him."

The chairman of the Ghana Football Association, Ben Koufie, called the player's retreat 'unfortunate'.

"Nyarko did not inform us of his decision.

"We only received a letter through Fifa which he had written to say he is no longer available to play for Ghana.

"I am disappointed with the fact that he didn't discuss the issue with us before taking this step."

Koufie deplored that Nyarko would be a big loss for the Black Stars at the African Nations Cup.

"Nyarko is an asset to the national side, especial at a time when we are preparing for Mali.

"He is one of the most experience players and I only hope that it would have been different.

"We are still trying to contact him but we can't get through to his phone."

Nyarko has not played for Ghana in nearly a year, during which time his career has been plagued with personal disputes, disciplinary problems at Everton and a delayed transfer to Monaco.

The trouble began after a fan ran onto the pitch when he was playing for Everton to abuse him for not trying hard enough.