Former Black Stars midfielder Laryea Kingston has issued an apology to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for his gross disrespect.
Laryea in a statement apologised to GFA President Kurt Okraku and the Executive Council following his abrupt resignation as coach of the Ghana U17 team.
The Black Starlets had begun the WAFU B tournament impressively, defeating Ivory Coast 5-1 and Benin 2-0 before losing to Burkina Faso in the semi-finals. Kingston’s resignation came as a surprise after the semi-final defeat, despite the team still having a third-place match to play.
In a statement released on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, Kingston expressed his regrets, stating, “To the President and the Exco, I also want to unreservedly and sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding, inconvenience, and embarrassment my decision to announce resignation last Saturday caused.”
He admitted, “After careful consideration, I could have handled things better, and this will be a guiding experience for me going forward.”
Despite his resignation, Kingston reiterated his support for the team as they prepare to face Nigeria in the battle for the bronze medal on Tuesday at the Legon Stadium. “I love my nation, I served my nation as a player, and I have been serving my nation as a coach,” he said. “I cherish the opportunity given me by the GFA and the support of Ghanaians from all walks of life, my technical teammates, and the talented players that I work with. We look forward to finishing the tournament in the strongest way by beating our rivals, Nigeria to win bronze.”
Ghana will face Nigeria at the University of Ghana Stadium in the third-place playoff match.
The Black Starlets will be led by assistant coach Nana Agyemang, who has vowed to bounce the team back to success. “It’s extremely important. I mean it’s my first national assignment. At first, being the assistant to Laryea Kingston and now taking the reins for this last game I think it’s very very important. For me, it really defines my coaching career, and I am going to do everything possible to win this to put smiles back on the faces of Ghanaians and also to be able to uplift my own self as a coach.”
The game against Nigeria kicks off at 4 pm local time.
