Yaw Adjei-Mintah
Quiet down the celebrations. Yes Kwesi Appiah has been appointed Coach of the Black Stars to the delight of several fans in the football inclined country whose football association has been aloof to its calls.
Ghana’s Football Association has been chastised for being an exclusive body whose expenses with the Black Stars are catered to by the nation’s citizens. But that position has changed with Kwesi Appiah’s appointment as his return is at the behest of his fellow countrymen.
Bringing back the former head coach to the post he got kicked off in the aftermath of Ghana’s scandalous 2014 World Cup campaign in Brazil is surely a good way to rebound from an Israeli bombardment Ghana was subjected to.
Avram Grant’s poor behavior during his time as the man in charge of the national team was marked with several controversial instances coupled with his failures to annex the AFCON title invariably paved the way for Appiah’s return.
Falling in line with the wave of nationalism sweeping through various countries in the world after government changes, Ghana’s renewed sense of patriotism culminated in a constant clamour for an indigene hence Appiah’s appointment.
While suitable candidates including Ibrahim Tanko’s names were mentioned, the former Asante Kotoko man was always the right man to be given the job following his successful stint with Sudanese side Al-Khartoum.
His prior experience with the Stars always placed him ahead of the shortlisted candidates Willy Sagnol and Hugo Broos. Many Ghanaians absolved the man popularly known as Mayeley from the fallout in Brazil citing the player’s failure to respond to the Coach was beyond him considering the playing body even sidelined the wishes of Ghana President John Mahama.
It is easy to read between the lines to figure out a political hand or in this case political hands, were behind Appiah’s appointment.
Former President John Kuffour, and sitting President Nana Akuffo-Addo have on several occasions called for an indigene to be in charge of the team. Minister of Youth and Sports Isaac Asiamah called for a local coach and Africa’s sole Boxing of Famer inductee Azumah Nelson lunged into the debate by calling for legendary Ghanaian football figure Abedi Pele to take the helm.
His choice was undoubtedly surprising but it still fell in line with the “Appoint a Native Movement”. Unlike football associations in many foreign countries, Ghana’s FA isn’t financially independent and depends heavily on government cash to fund the activities of the senior national team.
By taking a pro Ghanaian stance, the GFA was in no position to counter the government’s stance without suffering dire consequences and by virtue of what certainly feels like bowing to pressure, they conceded.
But here is the tricky part, very little has changed since during Appiah’s absence. The playing body is virtually the same as he left it, President Nyantakyi is still around and has been emboldened by a FIFA job and the backroom staff headlined by Assistant Coach Maxwell Konadu remains same in equal measure. Essentially, the factors that were present during Appiah’s fall and sack are still present and wield considerable influence in running team affairs.
Adding insult to fire, for so long, the FA has demonstrated on several occasions it is more comfortable with an expatriate coach than a native.
While perception and reality run on different lines, the FA’s position was passed on to the public by none other than Vice Chairman of the Black Stars Management Board Wilfred Osei. In the lead up to Appiah’s interview and appointment, he opined no Ghanaian coach was “well positioned” to handle the top job.
The fact that Willy Sagnol even made the shortlist after derogatory and racist statements he made sometime ago, is difficult to ignore. For what is worth, all Sagnol has to his coaching credit are stints with France’s U-21 side and Ligue 1 side Girondins de Bordeaux.
Such racist comments should have taken his name out from the list of applicant right from the start. As Vice Chairman, Osei will be in constant touch with the Black Stars and it is difficult to see how his relationship with Kwesi Appiah will be rosy after the aforementioned statement.
This is a bad situation for the Stars fragile state of mind to be in as multiple instances of management and technical rifts have ripped apart many teams.
Any dissolution in results indefinitely leads to serious backlash from an impatient country that has missed the chance to win a fifth African title despite never missing the semifinals since 2008.
Clearly, Appiah has the backing of his countrymen but not necessarily his bosses so it is unlikely for the association to jump to the defense of the trainer when things start turning sour in the coming months. For now, Ghanaians should bask in the glory of having its call heard.