Do the Black Stars really need a new technical director?

This has been a long running debate which was sparked by a story I did last week about the likelihood of German coach Klaus Toppmoller being approached to become the new technical director of the Black Stars.

Since then, it has generated a lot of debate, with some arguing that Kwasi Appiah can lead Ghana to the World Cup with the current technical and backroom staff that he has.

Others continue to see Ghana’s 6-1 drubbing of Egypt as a fluke and still doubt Appiah’s tactical acumen, with these doubts stemming from Ghana’s failure to get past the semifinal at the 2013 African Nations Cup in South Africa.

To be totally frank, I have stated my views on the whole matter and I will use this piece to reiterate and articulate my views.

I will start by taking the points raised by those who believe that Kwasi Appiah needs technical help and try to analyse it as best as I can.

First of all, one point raised is that all the big nations like Spain, Germany, Italy and Brazil have technical directors in charge of their various national teams.

Indeed a case in point is that Carlos Alberto Perreira is the technical director of the Brazil team and he worked well with Luis Felipe Scolari to win the Confederations Cup.

It is a fair point, but what it also means is that we can also look within ourselves and find someone who has either won trophies for us in the past, or had extensive experience in the past. Carlos Alberto Perreira won the World Cup in 1994 and so his current position is well deserved.

My point is that Kwasi Appiah has an unofficial backroom staff that includes the technical director of the Ghana Football Association, Francis Oti Akenteng, Sam Arday and Ben Koufie. I am also reliably informed that Fred Osam Duodu, who won the 1978 African Nations Cup has also been involved in the background. With their help, Kwasi Appiah has gotten this far. So why do we need to bring in another person?

Let me make it clear that none of the people advocating for the appointment of a new technical director is advocating for the hiring of another indigenous Ghanaian. Whoever says that is insulting the intelligence of Ghanaians!

It is clear that whoever would be brought in would be an expatriate. Yeah, I got wind of Toppmoller’s name and used it and I have been told that it is not true. No problem, but I have also been told in no uncertain terms that a technical director will be brought in and clearly it will not be a Ghanaian.

That is where I have a challenge, especially when we have people with the technical know-how in Ghana to assist Kwasi Appiah. Besides, the man himself has gone on record as saying he has not asked for any technical help apart from what he is already using.

I am not sure that if the new technical director of the team was indigenous, we would have had the kind of reaction that has come from Ghanaians following the Toppmoller story.

Are we saying then that our experienced coaches in Ghana are either incompetent or can offer no help? Honestly I do not share that opinion!

Secondly, we hear that Milovan Rajevac asked for extra technical help before the 2010 World Cup but because of a lack of funds, that didn’t happen. I am also aware that at the time, a consortium of business men tried to raise $1 million to bring in Jose Mourinho as a technical consultant. I am also aware that the issue was discussed by the GFA at the time and Rajevac rejected the idea.

It was a combination of poor finishing and bad luck that robbed the Black Stars of a semifinal place in South Africa. From the qualifiers Ghana has played in so far, 24 goals have been scored in 7 competitive ties, with 4 conceded.

That would suggest to me that in terms of goal scoring, things have improved as compared to the qualifying campaign for 2010, when Ghana scored 20 goals in 12 competitive matches with 8 conceded.

I dare say that even with the numerous changes in defence, the Black Stars have improved defensively as a team. So if progress has been made, then why should there be the need to bring in a technical director?

Kwasi Appiah has not only deepened the depth of the squad, but now he has players fighting for every position in the team. That will only make the team even better. So what else does he have to do to convince people that he can lead Ghana to Brazil?

A case in point is Nigeria. After qualifying for the second round in two consecutive world cups (1994 and 1998), Amodu Shaibu qualified the Super Eagles for the 2002 World Cup. He was fired and another coach was hired in his place. Nigeria failed to get past the first round.

Again, the same Amodu Shaibu qualified Nigeria for the 2010 World Cup and was again fired. Lars Lagerback took charge of the team and again, the Super Eagles failed to get past the first round.

I will be the first to say that Kwasi Appiah still has a few rough edges but the good thing is that he has made progress and is a much better coach than when he took over the team. He will become even better if he is given the support, but subtle references to his perceived lack of experience for me are not right.

There is a saying that we have to “think globally and act locally”. That doesn’t mean that all that is local is bad. Yes we can move with the changing times but there is also a saying that when it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

All I can say is that the powers that be can have their way, but I will continue to have my say, because in this country, we are all free to express our views.

My view is that Ghana does not need a technical director at this time because there is already a technical directorate in place that is helping Kwasi Appiah. I could be wrong, but this remains my view.