Former Ghana lateral defender John Paintsil’s troubles with the law have been described as a sad one by sports journalist Yaw Ampofo Ankrah.

He told Chief Jerry Forson on Accra100.5FM’s breakfast show, Ghana Yensom, on Thursday May 26 that Paintsil appears to have been battered by a lot of bad publicity.

Paintsil was reported by his wife, Richlove, for car theft, to the East Legon Police on the night of Tuesday May 24. He allegedly punched DSP Basintale during interrogations. He was detained in police cells and released on the night of Wednesday May 25 on bail.

Mr Ankrah expressed his unhappiness regarding the situation in which the former Fulham defender found himself.

“First of all it is sad and unsettling [for] a former national team player who, at times, wore the captain’s armband. He is no small player as he is an ambassador for Ghana and Ghanaian football. We must see the difference between private, domestic or matrimonial issues and issues of public interest,” he told host Chief Jerry Forson.

This is not the first time Mr Paintsil’s domestic issues have spilled into public discourse. Mr Ankrah, a former BBC presenter, was once involved in the resolution of a domestic spat between Mr and Mrs Paintsil in 2013 after a neighbour had called the police to report of trouble between the couple at their residence. Mrs Paintsil had allegedly scaled the wall of their East Legon home to the residence of her next door neighbour, where the footballer followed up to assault her.

“Unfortunately for John, the latest one involves assault [of a police officer]. That you can’t say is a private matter; it is a very public issue,” Mr Ankrah noted, adding that considering the “calibre” of Mr Paintsil, the matter “cannot be kept under wraps”.

“The assault takes it to a different level,” observed Mr Ankrah, who is also the head of the Ghana Beach Soccer Association.

He said even though the law would have to take its course with the footballer’s prosecution, he called for mercy for the footballer, saying Mr Paintsil “needs help rather than condemnation”.

“They should be lenient on him since he might be going through some challenges that may require counselling and prayers rather than outright condemnation,” he pleaded.

He said he was hopeful the latest issue involving the ex-Fulham, West Ham, and Hapoel Tel Aviv right back “would not destroy the future of the player”.