Black Stars winger Joseph Paintsil apologises for costing Genk qualification in Europa League playoffs

Black Stars winger, Joseph Paintsil, has apologised for his red card that proved costly in Genk’s UEFA Europa League play-off game against Olympiacos on Thursday, August 18, 2023.

Painstil was on the scoresheet but got sent off later in the game which ended one-all with Olympiacos progressing on a 2-1 aggregate scoreline.

The winger took to Twitter to apologise to his teammates and the fans for letting the team down in a crucial fixture.

“I want to apologize to my teammates, the fans & everyone for the red card last night. I let you down & I’m truly sorry. There is a lot to learn from this setback, and it is my wish that we use this as motivation for our next match. Together, we can bounce back stronger than ever,” he tweeted.

Paintsil missed a penalty in the opening 20 minutes of the game but he was awarded a retake by VAR and made no mistake giving Genk the lead.

In the second half, Paintsil made a silly tackle on Olympiacos left-back Quini which lead to a scuffle. The referee after restoring calmness sent off Paintsil while showing Quini a yellow card.

Olympiacos made the advantage count as Sotiris found the needed equaliser in the die embers of the game. After losing the first leg 1-0, the Belgian side bowed out from the playoffs with a defeat on aggregate.

Following the exit, Gent will now play in the Europa Conference League’s last play-oof round in a bid for a slot in the group stages.