Former South Africa defender Mark Fish confirmed on Wednesday his retirement from football.
The 31-year-old left English Premiership side Charlton this week after a lengthy battle with a knee injury, but insisted he is looking forward to life beyond the pitch, which is set to feature work in television, and a return to his home country.
”There are a lot of things in the pipeline I’m interested in doing in the next few years — and the rest of my life,” he said. ”I’m disappointed my career came to an abrupt end at such an early age, but it happens.
”I reached the point where I was struggling to get fit, and once I got fit I was struggling to play at the standards I’ve set myself.
”If I had continued like that, my knee would have deteriorated and hopefully now I will have a more fulfilling life than I would have had if I had continued and made my knee worse,” he also told Charlton’s official website.
Fish, who also played for Italian Serie A side Lazio, made more than 100 appearances for Charlton, after arriving from Premiership rivals Bolton for £700 000 in October 2000.
The defender missed the latter part of the 2003/04 campaign following an accident at his home when he fell through a glass table, which left him needing stitches to a chest wound.
After making only seven appearances in the Premiership the following season, Fish had a spell on loan with Ipswich in August this year, which was cut short by injury after just one game.
Before Wednesday’s announcement, Charlton had already agreed to release Fish on a free transfer, should another club show an interest, even though the player had three years left to run on his contract with the south London club.
”I didn’t want to be one of those footballers who goes down the divisions for the sake of playing football, or for the sake of earning money,” Fish said.
Fish, who captained his country and played for the Bafana Bafana at the 1998 World Cup in France, added: ”I’ve started to become involved in the development of sport back in South Africa and there are a few things in the pipeline.
”I will be commentating on the African Nations Cup in January.” — Sapa-AFP