The President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Ben Nunoo Mensah, has expressed his disappointment over the dismissal of Kwasi Appiah as head coach of the Black Stars.
Appiah was relieved of his duties after Ghana’s Round of 16 elimination at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.
In an interview on Asempa FM’s Ultimate Sports Show, Mr. Nunoo Mensah argued that Appiah, as a local coach, deserved more time to rebuild the Black Stars.
“I think that in so many years, Kwasi Appiah has been one of Ghana’s best coaches, and it was sad we got him out in that manner,” he said.
Mr. Nunoo Mensah emphasized the need to support local coaches, citing the country’s financial constraints as a reason to focus on developing homegrown coaching talent.
“Also, when there was an opportunity to appoint him again, we overlooked him. For me, because we are constrained by financial difficulties, we should look within ourselves,” he added.
The GOC President also pointed to the success of local coaches E.T. Mensah and Jones Attuquayefio in the past as evidence of the potential for Ghanaian coaches to excel with adequate support and training.
“If Kwesi Appiah had continued, maybe we wouldn’t be here. Some time ago, E. T. Mensah did the same with Jones Attuquayefio, and it worked.
“Most of the AFCON titles we won were with Ghanaian coaches, so why don’t we look within ourselves and build people to the level of Pep Guardiola and co.? Those local coaches will be more committed to the nation,” he added.
