Richmond Forson

{{Infobox football biography

| name= Richmond Forson

| fullname =

| image =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1980|5|23}}

| birth_place = Aflao, Ghana

| height = 1.80 m

| position = Left-back

| years1 = 1997–2001

| clubs1 = Metz B

| caps1 = 25

| goals1 = 1

| years2 = 2001–2002

| clubs2 = Louhans-Cuiseaux

| caps2 = 7

| goals2 = 1

| years3 = 2002–2004

| clubs3 = Luçon

| caps3 = 60

| goals3 = 0

| clubs4 = Vendée Poiré sur Vie

| years4 = 2005–2006

| caps4 = 32

| goals4 = 0

| clubs5 = AS Cherbourg

| years5 = 2006–2008

| caps5 = 22

| goals5 = 0

| clubs6 = Thouars Foot 79

| years6 = 2008–2010

| caps6 = 45

| goals6 = 0

| clubs7 = Chauvigny

| years7 = 2010–2012

| caps7 =

| goals7 =

| years8 = 2012–2013

| clubs8 = Yzeure

| caps8 =

| goals8 =

| nationalyears1 = 2001–2009

| nationalteam1 = Togo

| nationalcaps1 = 16

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Richmond Forson (born 23 May 1980) is a former professional footballer who played as a left-back and spent his career in France. Born in Ghana, he grew up in Togo and represented the Togo national team internationally.

Club career

Forson was born in Aflao, Ghana. As a youngster who started out with Sporting Club de Lome, moving to France to FC Metz later.{{cite news |title=Forson. Du Mondial à Ménez-Paul |trans-title= Forson. From the World Cup to Ménez-Paul |url=https://www.letelegramme.fr/sports/une/forson-du-mondial-menez-paul-20071127-2044719_1131367.php |accessdate=27 August 2020 |work=Le Télégramme |date=27 November 2007 |language=French}} His early promise, which saw interest in him by such big clubs as Arsenal,{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} was almost eliminated when in 2001, while only 21, he was the victim of a serious road accident in France which left him unable to play for almost a year.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} Forson then played as a defender for Luçon and an amateur team Vendée Poiré sur Vie.{{cite web |title=Forson: "Es geht für uns auch um die Ehre" |url=https://www.kicker.de/forson_es-geht-fuer-uns-auch-um-die-ehre-351430/artikel |website=kicker Online |access-date=21 December 2019 |language=German |date=22 June 2006}}

Following the 2006 World Cup, from January 2007 – August 2008, Forson played two seasons for AS Cherbourg Football in the French Championnat National.[https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/FootballFicheJoueur20000000000000000000014222.html Football: la fiche de Richmond Forson] on www.lequipe.fr In 2008 after a falling out with the coach having lost his place in the side following a period with injury, he left Cherbourg and moved to Thouars Foot 79.[http://fr.newspeg.com/Cfa2--Richmond-Forson-test%C3%A9-par-Thouars-9923708.html Cfa2 : Richmond Forson testé par Thouars – La Nouvelle République -] on www.fr.newspeg.com On 30 January 2012, Forson signed for Championnat de France amateur side AS Yzeure along with David Pathinvo and Guinean international Aboubacar Sylla.{{cite web|url=http://www.foot-national.com/foot-yzeure-trois-nouveaux-joueurs-ont-signe-31921.html|title=Yzeure: Trois nouveaux joueurs ont signé|publisher=Foot National|date=30 January 2012|author=Alexandre Chochois|accessdate=30 January 2012|trans-title=Yzeure: Three new players have signed}}

International career

Born in Ghana, Forson grew up in Togo and was eligible to play for the Ghana and Togo national teams. While still an amateur player, he became a member of the Togo national team. His national debut came in May 2001 in a 1–0 victory against Senegal. Forson is the second football player originally from Ghana to play for the Togo. The other one is Eric Akoto.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} His revelation was in a four-country tournament in Iran, comprising the Paraguay, Macedonia, Iran and Togo teams.

Forson was called up to the squad to participate in the 2006 FIFA World Cup where he started in two games against Switzerland{{cite news |last1=Lesprit |first1=Bruno |title=Richmond Forson, l'international togolais du Poiré-sur-Vie |trans-title=Richmond Forson, the Togolese international of Poiré-sur-Vie |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/mondial-2006/article/2006/06/20/richmond-forson-l-international-togolais-du-poire-sur-vie_785835_669420.html |accessdate=27 August 2020 |work=Le Monde |date=20 June 2006 |language=French}} and France. Both games resulted in 2–0 losses. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup,[http://www.togo2006.de/03_eperviers/spieler/index.php?lang=de "Die Sperber" – Togos Nationalmannschaft] on togo2006.de Forson was involved in the bonus dispute where the entire Togo threatened to go on strike after the national federation failed to pay the bonus money that was owed to the players. The situation was resolved with a partial payment to the players.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080618112827/http://de.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=248772/index.html FIFA.com – FIFA Spielerstatistik Richmond FORSON] on de.fifa.com