South Africa's record goalscorer Shaun Bartlett has retired from international football to concentrate on earning a new contract at Charlton Athletic, he has told the English premier league club's website.

Bartlett, who has won 66 caps in eight years, scoring 26 goals said: "The two major reasons for me (retiring from internationals) were that I'm now in the last year of my contract at Charlton and I'm playing for a new deal.

"I've spoken to the South African authorities and explained my decision. I told them it was time for me to concentrate on my club career and being with my family. They tried to talk me round but I had already made up my mind."

Charlton manager Alan Curbishley felt Bartlett was missing too many club matches because of his international commitments.

"We were in a ridiculous situation where he'd go missing for six weeks over Christmas," Curbishley was quoted as saying on the Sky Sports website. "We said to Shaun it wasn't on. We pay his wages so asked what his priority was."

Bartlett featured in the 1998 World Cup in France but missed last year's finals in South Korea and Japan after picking up a calf injury in February 2002 in the African Nations Cup in Mali.

He travelled to Mali only after being threatened by world soccer's governing body FIFA with a suspension from club football for the duration of the tournament.

"I didn't really want to go last time but when I ended up making the trip it was a disaster because I got that injury in the first game," added the 30-year-old, who was sidelined for eight months with the calf and a subsequent Achilles injury.

The African Nations Cup begins in January in Tunisia and Bartlett, who is presently out of action with an ankle injury, would have missed at least three premier league games.

"I didn't want a repeat of what happened last year," he said. "The only option for me was to retire so they couldn't call me up."

"But I owe South Africa a lot. It has really been my performances for my country that have put me on the international stage and I'm very grateful for that."

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