Former Ghana coach, Kwesi Appiah has urged the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to conduct a thorough analysis of the Black Stars’ failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
This marks the first time in 20 years that Ghana will miss out on Africa’s premier football tournament, finishing last in Group F with just three points from six matches.
Appiah, a member of the GFA’s Executive Committee, expressed his disappointment and emphasized the need for a critical review of Ghanaian football.
“It’s really unfortunate because everybody thought Ghana will have qualified,” Appiah, who doubles as head coach of Sudan told BBC Africa.
“In 2014, I was taking Ghana to the World Cup in Brazil, and I made a statement that football is coming of age.
“The whole FA needs to sit down and analyse and check what is really going on.”
Appiah revealed that, he stepped aside from his role as an FA executive due to a conflict of interest, as he is currently coaching Sudan.
“I was an executive member of the Ghana FA and while Ghana was involved with our group, I was told to step aside because of a conflict of interest, and I did.
“I need to be 100% professional and make sure the country I’m coaching qualify [for] either the Afcon or the World Cup.”
He also expressed understanding for the challenges faced by Ghana’s current head coach, Otto Addo.
“Once you take that job, you need to add that pressure on top of it. Ghana not going to Afcon is a big, big, big deal.”
Kwesi Appiah remains a notable figure in Ghanaian football, remembered for guiding the Black Stars to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.