Paintsil wants State to honour retired Appiah

Ghana defender John Paintsil insists Stephen Appiah deserves to be honored by the state for the outstanding leadership exhibited by the 34-year-old during his era as Black Stars captain.

The former Juventus and Hearts of Oak star released a statement confirming his retirement from professional football on Wednesday.

“He has to be honored by the state because, I mean he qualified the team to the World Cup and I don’t think his achievements only had an effect on our football, but an ambassadorial role for the whole nation,” John Paintsil told Accra-based radio station Starr 103.5FM.

Though testimonial matches have been organized to celebrate most of Ghana’s top retired players, past governments have also awarded some of the nation’s most influential players including Abedi Ayew Pele and Osei Kofi with the state’s highest honour, the Order of the Volta.

Stephen Appiah captained Ghana to two World Cup competitions in 2006 in Germany and 2010 in South Africa.