We were incomplete without Laryea Kingston at the 2006 World Cup-  Former Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah

Former Ghana captain, Stephen Appiah, has expressed disappointment  over the exclusion of Laryea Kingston from Ghana’s squads in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Stephen Appiah believes that the team was unaware of certain rules at the time, which led to their failure to include Kingston in the squad despite his suspension being for only two matches.

In an interview with Joy Sports, Appiah reflected on the 2006 World Cup campaign and acknowledged their naivety regarding the rules.

“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 stated

The former Juventus player feels that the team lacked certain completeness at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup not just in terms of football skills, but also due to the sacrifices made by certain players like Laryea Kingston.

“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

Laryea Kingston missed out on the 2006 World Cup due to a red card he received during the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. The subsequent two-match ban meant that he would be unavailable for Ghana’s first two games at the World Cup.

He again missed out on the 2010 World Cup squad, when then-coach Milovan Rajevac dropped him despite his immense contribution to the team’s qualification.

Ghana made an impressive debut appearance at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, reaching the round of 16. Their success continued in the 2010 World Cup, hosted in South Africa, as they advanced to the quarter-finals. However, their hopes of reaching the semi-finals were dashed by a devastating last-minute penalty miss against Uruguay.