KWESI APPIAH RETURN IS A CLARION CALL

Ghana's national football team is returning a familiar name to its management. Kwesi Appiah is the first black man to have qualify Ghana for the World Cup in Brazil 2014, has return to the Black Stars as coach again.

 His first stint as Black Stars coach ended in a mutual consent in September 2014 few months after the World Cup, where the team failed to qualify out of their group featuring Portugal, USA and champions Germany amid high profile off the pitch incidents involving player agitations for delayed bonuses.

The 57-year- old, officially starts his second coming on 1st May, 2017 and will be in charge for the next two years.

A statement from the Ghana FA said: “The decision was taken by the Executive Committee of the GFA on Tuesday after approving the report of the six-man coaching search committee and he will also take full charge of the Local Black Stars” and see the team through the qualifying rounds of the 2018 Chan to be hosted by Kenya.

The search for a new coach began late February after former Chelsea coach Avram Grant indicate his decision not to extend his expiring contract.

The Ghana FA subsequently instituted a six-man committee chaired by its President Kwesi Nyantakyi. Adopting a two-prong approach, over 100 applications were received while Appiah and Hugo Broos were headhunted.

Kwasi Appiah has received massive support for his return throughout the search process by GFA.

He is expected to revitalize the Black Stars and lead the team’s revival in the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers as well as lead Ghana to the much elusive fifth Africa Cup of Nations title at the Cameroon edition in 2019.

Kwasi Appiah is an ex-Ghana international who played as a left-back for the Black Stars. He began his coaching career in 1993 and holds a FIFA/CAF License A certificate.

Former Ghana international and Cameroon assistant coach Ibrahim Tanko could be appointed as new assistant coach, with Black Stars' first choice shot-stopper at the 2006 and 2010 Fifa World Cup Richard Kingson becoming goalkeeping coach and former Juventus star Stephen Appiah team manager.

But I will label Kwesi Appiah’s imminent appointment as Black Stars head coach as failure. His second coming could be a total disaster to the team after what we witness in Brazil 2014.

 His appointment comes at a point when the Black Stars are almost out of the World Cup qualifying race and the team is in shambles and needs to be very careful in negotiating for his contract. If anything goes wrong under his care the consequence will be unbearable this time.

The strident call from the GFA and Ghanaians for the return of Kwesi Appiah is a good tiding for the gaffer. Kwesi Appiah returning as Black Stars head coach looks like a disillusioned prize in waiting especially since the Black Stars are almost out of the qualifying race for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Avram Grant didn’t leave the team in a good position.

However, know that the GFA and Ghanaians will offer their unshrinking support to the Kwesi Appiah because it a strident calls from them and they have no option than to help him succeed.

                                                                                               

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