Former Ghana Black Stars coach, Kwesi Appiah, has recounted how former President John Agyekum Kuffour helped him to land Black Stars coaching job.
According to the 59-year-old, he submitted his Curriculum Vitae [CV] to the Ghana Football Association when he was told about the vacancy.
Detailing how he finally had the chance to assist Milovan Rejevac, he said the FA failed to call him for an interview when he sent his CV but a phone call from President Kuffour to the FA gave him the opportunity to be named as the assistant coach of the Black Stars in 2007.
“After Ghana’s appearance in the 2008 African Cup of Nations, I found out that there was a vacant position at the Black Stars because the coach at that time, Claude Le Roy, had sacked his assistants. I made a call to a few people I knew at the Ghana Football Association (GFA) office to inquire about the vacancy and to apply,” he wrote in his book “Leaders Don’t Have To Yell”.
“I presented my CV to the GFA representative. The person accepted my CV and that was the end of it. Like they say in Ghana, they sat on my CV. They just held on to it and did not invite me for an interview. Neither did they inform me that I was going to be considered for the job, even though I was duly qualified.
“At that time, Mr John Agyekum Kuffuor was the president. I had a good relationship with him from my days with Kumasi Asante Kotoko where he had served for a while on their board of directors. I contacted the Office of the Ghana President to request an introduction to the GFA leaders. It was my hope that the President’s influence could get someone to take a look at my CV and let me know what was going on with my application.
“Thankfully, that influence from the President (JA Kuffuor) led to a phone interview, and then I was invited to come for an in-person interview in Accra. I flew from London to Accra for the interview.
He also revealed that President Kuffour urged him not to focus on money but to stay humble and learn from the Serbian trainer.
“I was offered the assistant coaching job with a salary of $3,000. The salary was extremely low compared to how much they were paying the foreign coaches.
“I remember President Kuffuor reminding me not to focus so much on the money but to rather get there, excel at the job and see what happens next.
“It is possible that nothing would have happened to my application without the President (John Kuffuor’s) influence”.
Kwesi Appiah has been replaced by CK Akonnor as Ghana coach following the expiration of his contract in December 2019.