Sports News of Wednesday, 4 January 2023

Source: footballghana.com

Kwasi Appiah reveals he was threatened for inviting Kudus, four others to Black Stars

Former Black Stars head coach, James Kwasi Appiah, now works with Kenpong Football Academy Former Black Stars head coach, James Kwasi Appiah, now works with Kenpong Football Academy

Former Black Stars head coach, James Kwasi Appiah has opened up on the difficulty he had during his second stint with the national team.

According to him, he was threatened by some management committee members of the Black Stars that he will be sacked if he used teenager Mohammed Kudus in a qualification match against South Africa and Ghana lost.

“Not only [Mohammed] Kudus but some other young players. There were people who felt the young players didn’t deserve the Black Stars call-up. But for me, I had watched them and I believed them. I always told my players don’t prove to me, prove to Ghanaians. If you do well that’s for your own good.

“My job was on the line because I was warned that if I lost the match I will be sacked. I didn’t mind because I knew I was doing what was good for the country,” Coach Kwasi Appiah shared in an interview with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV.

Besides Mohammed Kudus, other players the then management committee of the Black Stars rejected because they were too young according to Coach Kwasi Appiah including defender Gideon Mensah and midfielder Majeed Ashimeru.

Fortunately, the trust Coach Kwasi Appiah had in the players paid off as Ghana beat South Africa at the end of the game.

Kwasi Appiah now works as a coach for Kenpong Football Academy and hopes to qualify for the Premier League soon.