Former Black Stars Captain, Stephen Appiah is not ruling out a return to the local premier league after being away for over a decade. He is however discouraged by the attitude of some fans towards experienced players, a situation he said makes it difficult for those players to settle home. He made this revelation in an exclusive interview with Joy Sports. “I had the chance to play for Accra Hearts of Oak for three years before moving to Europe so returning to play for Accra Hearts of Oak is not a bad idea,” he said. “Many players have the desire to come back home for their local clubs and play but because of the bashing, many of them shy away from it. Some will say ‘he is old’ and criticize the player and that’s why our league is not growing,” Appiah said. Stephen Appiah who made history as the first Captain of the Black Stars team to qualify the nations for a World Cup added that the young players in the league are not learning from the experienced ones. “Sometimes when we play recreational games we realise that the likes of Augustine Arhinful still play some very good football and the young players are not even able to mark them,” he told Joy Sports. Appiah who is currently in Ghana working out his club future, has been linked to his former side Hearts of Oak but it seems unlikely he will make the move there. The former Juventus star agrees with the idea of experienced players returning to grow the profile of the local league. Hearts, for instance, is going into another season with returnee Laryea Kingson who brings experience from stints in Israel, Russia and Scotland. According to the 31-year-old midfielder the presence of some seasoned players in the league during his days here helped in grooming young players a great deal. “In those times football fans came to the match venues because they knew there were some outstanding players like Ablade Kumah, Shamo Quaye, Joe Debrah and Adjetey Lee. After leaving the local scene in 1997, Appiah played for six Italian clubs Udinese, Parma, Brescia, Juventus, Bologna and Cessena, one Turkish club, Fenerbahce and a Serbian side FK Vojvodina, where he last played.