Former Ghana coach, Kwasi Appiah believes his opportunity to lead the senior national team came at just the right moment in his career.
Appiah, who previously served as an assistant coach under experienced managers like Claude Le Roy, Milovan Rajevac, and Goran Stavanovic, was appointed head coach after the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
As head coach, he guided Ghana to the semi-finals of the 2013 AFCON in South Africa and later led the team to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
“This profession demands patience and a keen eye for detail,” Appiah shared in an interview with FIFA Media. “My opportunity arrived at exactly the right time,” he added.
Appiah, who now serves as the Technical Director of Asante Kotoko, made history as the first coach from sub-Saharan Africa to take a team to the World Cup.
However, this milestone was later matched by Otto Addo, who scouted for Appiah during the 2014 World Cup, and Senegal’s Aliou Cissé.
Otto Addo led Ghana to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while Aliou Cissé successfully guided Senegal to consecutive World Cup appearances in Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022).
“I’m glad I’m no longer the only one to have achieved this. When I look at what my colleague Aliou Cissé has accomplished with Senegal, it fills me with pride,” Appiah remarked.
Currently coaching Sudan, Appiah is optimistic about the future of African coaches on the global stage. “Others will follow in our footsteps and achieve even more,” he said.
He is confident that he can lead Sudan to the next World Cup, stating, “I firmly believe we can achieve this.”
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