Richard Kingson
Encyclopedia
Richard Paul Franck Kingson (born 13 June 1978 in Accra
) is a Ghana
ian professional football goalkeeper, who is currently a free agent. He is also known as Faruk Gürsoy and is frequently misnamed Kingston due to "irregularity on his identity documents". After leaving his native Ghana, he played for several clubs in Turkey
, for Hammarby
in Sweden
, and in England
for Birmingham City
, Wigan Athletic
and Blackpool
, who released him at the end of the 2010–11
season.
Kingson is the current vice-captain for the Ghana national football team
and is the most capped player for the national team with 90 caps. He holds both a Ghanaian passport
and a Turkish passport
.
and Ergun Gürsoy. His first club in Turkey was Galatasaray S.K.
, who he signed in December 1996 but he did not play a single game there. On 2004–05 season when he played with Galatasaray S.K.
again, he was suspended from football for six months after a failed doping test.
After a three month period on loan to Swedish club Hammarby IF
, he drew attention from other clubs in Europe, including Aalborg, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Birmingham City
, eventually joining the latter. On 28 August 2007, Kingson made his debut for Birmingham in a League Cup
third round tie against Hereford United
. He played once in the Premier League, a 2–0 defeat to Portsmouth
in caretaker manager
Eric Black
's only game in charge.
At the end of the season, co-owner David Sullivan blamed the club's relegation
on the quality of previous manager Steve Bruce
's signings, branding Kingson a "complete waste of space". Kingson was disappointed and angered by the perceived unfairness of Sullivan's reaction, saying that "An older person, in his position, has to speak maturely. He has to be a responsible man as co-owner to speak well and set an example to younger people."
The player's contract, which still had one year to run, was cancelled by mutual consent at the end of the 2007–08
season.
Kingson joined up with former manager Steve Bruce when he signed for Wigan Athletic
on 12 September 2008. He was given the number 22 shirt, the same number as he wears for Ghana. He made his first-team debut in the FA Cup third round tie against Tottenham Hotspur
, where his side lost 3–1. He made his first Premier League appearance for the club when he replaced the injured Chris Kirkland
after 10 minutes of the away match against West Bromwich Albion
on 9 May 2009. He saved a penalty
from Chris Brunt
, but Brunt was able to score from the rebound, and the game ended as a 3–1 defeat.
He was released after his contract expired at Wigan at the end of the 2009–10 season
Following his release by Wigan Athletic, he signed for Premier League newcomers Blackpool
in September 2010. He made his debut for the Seasiders in a 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa on 10 November 2010. Following an injury to first-choice goalkeeper Matthew Gilks
, Kingson had an extended run in the first team. On 26th May 2011, Kingson was released, along with several other Blackpool players.
After departing Blackpool
, Kingson and El Hadji Diouf
have started to train again with Wigan Athletic.
, and was called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2010 FIFA World Cup
.
During the 2006 World Cup, the Ghanaian FA stated that his name is Kingston; however, the player's shirt used the correct spelling of his name, as confirmed by Kingson himself.
He was voted as an All-Star Goalkeeper during the 2008 African Cup of Nations
Tournament in Ghana
. The Team of the Tournament was decided by the Technical Study Group (TSG) after careful observations of all the tournament's matches.
In 2008, he scored a goal for Ghana in a friendly – a late equaliser in a 1–1 draw against Tanzania
.
As first-choice goalkeeper and team captain he was instrumental in leading Ghana to the final of the 2010 tournament
, and was again selected for the all-star team along with Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary
.
In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Kingson was selected in Ghana's opening game against Serbia, who have Vladimir Stojković
, Kingson's fellow goalkeeper at Wigan Athletic on goal at the other side, keeping a clean sheet in The Black Stars 1–0 victory. In his next game he made a mistake on the 11th minute to give the lead to Australia in the group game which finished 1–1. His final group game ended in a narrow 1–0 defeat to Germany, but the team still qualified for the knockout stages. In the match of 16 versus USA, he was voted Turkish Airlines Top of the Match after making several saves in the 2–1 extra time victory. The team then moved on to the Quarter Finals, where a goal was prevented by Uruguayan player, Luis Suarez and which awarded Ghana a penalty kick. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty kick and Ghana ultimately lost the game in a penalty shootout.
, who is also a member of the Ghana national team. He is a naturalised citizen of Turkey
and his Turkish name is Faruk Gürsoy. Kingson is married to Adelaide Tawiah. The ceremony took place in Ghana. Kingson's national team-mates Asamoah Gyan
and John Paintsil were among the guests at the wedding.
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
) is a Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian professional football goalkeeper, who is currently a free agent. He is also known as Faruk Gürsoy and is frequently misnamed Kingston due to "irregularity on his identity documents". After leaving his native Ghana, he played for several clubs in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, for Hammarby
Hammarby IF
Hammarby Fotboll is a Swedish football club based in Johanneshov - just south of Södermalm, the southernmost district of Stockholm city centre...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
and Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, who released him at the end of the 2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
season.
Kingson is the current vice-captain for the Ghana national football team
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
and is the most capped player for the national team with 90 caps. He holds both a Ghanaian passport
Ghanaian passport
Ghanaian passports are passports issued exclusively by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to Ghanaians granted citizenship in accordance with Ghana Citizenship Act 2000. There are three types of passport booklets – regular, service and diplomatic passports...
and a Turkish passport
Turkish passport
Turkish Passports are issued in accordance with the Passport Act from July 15, 1950 to Turkish citizens to travel outside of the country....
.
Club career
Kingson left his native city in 1996 to pursue a career in Turkey, where he represented six different clubs, and became a naturalised citizen, taking a Turkish name, Faruk Gürsoy, coming from Faruk SürenFaruk Süren
Faruk Süren is a Turkish businessman and former chairman of the Turkish sports club Galatasaray.Süren was born in Istanbul. He graduated from a German high school in Germany, then studied business administration in Istanbul University. After serving as vice-president for years, he was elected as...
and Ergun Gürsoy. His first club in Turkey was Galatasaray S.K.
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
, who he signed in December 1996 but he did not play a single game there. On 2004–05 season when he played with Galatasaray S.K.
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
again, he was suspended from football for six months after a failed doping test.
After a three month period on loan to Swedish club Hammarby IF
Hammarby IF
Hammarby Fotboll is a Swedish football club based in Johanneshov - just south of Södermalm, the southernmost district of Stockholm city centre...
, he drew attention from other clubs in Europe, including Aalborg, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, eventually joining the latter. On 28 August 2007, Kingson made his debut for Birmingham in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
third round tie against Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
. He played once in the Premier League, a 2–0 defeat to Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
in caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
Eric Black
Eric Black
Eric Black is a former professional football player who played for Aberdeen and Metz. He played in attack. He won 2 international caps for Scotland. He was caretaker manager at Birmingham City following the departure of Steve Bruce. He is currently caretaker manager at Sunderland A.F.C...
's only game in charge.
At the end of the season, co-owner David Sullivan blamed the club's relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
on the quality of previous manager Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
's signings, branding Kingson a "complete waste of space". Kingson was disappointed and angered by the perceived unfairness of Sullivan's reaction, saying that "An older person, in his position, has to speak maturely. He has to be a responsible man as co-owner to speak well and set an example to younger people."
The player's contract, which still had one year to run, was cancelled by mutual consent at the end of the 2007–08
Premier League 2007–08
The 2007–08 Premier League season was the sixteenth since its establishment. The first matches of the season were played on 11 August 2007, and the season ended on 11 May 2008...
season.
Kingson joined up with former manager Steve Bruce when he signed for Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
on 12 September 2008. He was given the number 22 shirt, the same number as he wears for Ghana. He made his first-team debut in the FA Cup third round tie against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, where his side lost 3–1. He made his first Premier League appearance for the club when he replaced the injured Chris Kirkland
Chris Kirkland
Christopher Edmund "Chris" Kirkland is an English footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Wigan Athletic in the Premier League. He also has one cap for the England national team....
after 10 minutes of the away match against West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
on 9 May 2009. He saved a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
from Chris Brunt
Chris Brunt
Christopher Brunt is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion. He plays as a left winger and more recently an attacking midfield position. He is also the Albion captain....
, but Brunt was able to score from the rebound, and the game ended as a 3–1 defeat.
He was released after his contract expired at Wigan at the end of the 2009–10 season
Following his release by Wigan Athletic, he signed for Premier League newcomers Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
in September 2010. He made his debut for the Seasiders in a 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa on 10 November 2010. Following an injury to first-choice goalkeeper Matthew Gilks
Matthew Gilks
Matthew "Matt" Gilks is a football goalkeeper who plays for Blackpool. He previously played for Rochdale for seven years before moving to Norwich City in 2007. He stayed one season with the Canaries without making a first-team appearance...
, Kingson had an extended run in the first team. On 26th May 2011, Kingson was released, along with several other Blackpool players.
After departing Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Kingson and El Hadji Diouf
El Hadji Diouf
El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf is a Senegalese footballer who currently plays for Doncaster Rovers. He can play on both wings as well as in attack. He has also garnered a large amount of notoriety for a series of controversial incidents.-Early career:Diouf started his career in France with...
have started to train again with Wigan Athletic.
International career
Kingson is the starting goalkeeper of the Ghana national football teamGhana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
, and was called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
During the 2006 World Cup, the Ghanaian FA stated that his name is Kingston; however, the player's shirt used the correct spelling of his name, as confirmed by Kingson himself.
He was voted as an All-Star Goalkeeper during the 2008 African Cup of Nations
2008 African Cup of Nations
The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated to the Confederation of African Football . The tournament was staged at...
Tournament in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. The Team of the Tournament was decided by the Technical Study Group (TSG) after careful observations of all the tournament's matches.
In 2008, he scored a goal for Ghana in a friendly – a late equaliser in a 1–1 draw against Tanzania
Tanzania national football team
The Tanzania national football team represents Tanzania in association football and is controlled by the Tanzania Football Federation, the governing body for football in Tanzania. Tanzania's home ground is Benjamin Mkapa national stadium in Dar-es-Salaam and their head coach is Jan Børge Poulsen....
.
As first-choice goalkeeper and team captain he was instrumental in leading Ghana to the final of the 2010 tournament
2010 African Cup of Nations
The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa...
, and was again selected for the all-star team along with Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary
Essam El-Hadary
Essam El-Hadary is an Egyptian goalkeeper, playing for Sudan Premier League side El-Merreikh.-Club career:Swiss club FC Sion announced that they had signed El-Hadary to a four-year contract in February 2008, despite claims to the contrary from his club Al-Ahly...
.
In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Kingson was selected in Ghana's opening game against Serbia, who have Vladimir Stojković
Vladimir Stojkovic
Vladimir Stojković is a Serbian football goalkeeper who plays for FK Partizan and for the Serbian national team.-Family:Stojković was born into a sporting family...
, Kingson's fellow goalkeeper at Wigan Athletic on goal at the other side, keeping a clean sheet in The Black Stars 1–0 victory. In his next game he made a mistake on the 11th minute to give the lead to Australia in the group game which finished 1–1. His final group game ended in a narrow 1–0 defeat to Germany, but the team still qualified for the knockout stages. In the match of 16 versus USA, he was voted Turkish Airlines Top of the Match after making several saves in the 2–1 extra time victory. The team then moved on to the Quarter Finals, where a goal was prevented by Uruguayan player, Luis Suarez and which awarded Ghana a penalty kick. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty kick and Ghana ultimately lost the game in a penalty shootout.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 20 August 2008 | Tanzania Tanzania The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state... |
1–1 | Draw | Friendly | ||||||
| Correct as of 21 October 2010 | |||||||||||
Titles and Honours
Ghana- Africa Cup of Nations Silver Medal: 2010
- Africa Cup of Nations Bronze Medal: 2008
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
last 16: 2006 - FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
quarter final: 2010
Personal life
Kingson is the brother of Laryea KingstonLaryea Kingston
Laryea Kingston is a Ghanaian professional footballer, who is currently playing for Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Israel...
, who is also a member of the Ghana national team. He is a naturalised citizen of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and his Turkish name is Faruk Gürsoy. Kingson is married to Adelaide Tawiah. The ceremony took place in Ghana. Kingson's national team-mates Asamoah Gyan
Asamoah Gyan
Asamoah Gyan is a Ghanaian professional footballer, who plays as a striker for Emirati club Al Ain in the UAE Pro-League , and the Ghana national team....
and John Paintsil were among the guests at the wedding.