JOHN MAHAMA ORDERED MY SACK AS BLACK STARS COACH - KWASI APPIAH

James Kwasi Appiah, former coach of Black Stars 

James Kwasi Appiah first became head coach of the senior national team of Ghana, the Black Stars in 2012 after Goran Stevanovich.

He became the first Ghanaian coach to qualify Black Stars to its third World Cup in 2014.

The national team performance at the then World Cup in Brazil became a national issue such that, the government had called for an enquiry into what transpired while the team was in Brazil. A Justice Dzamefe committee of enquiry was formed to find out the reasons for the shambolic performance in Brazil.

Many revelations were made which culminated to adopting the White Paper to ban some players from being called to play for the national team again.

Kwasi Appiah, after his second coming as the head coach of Ghana Black Stars was relieved off his job by the new GFA Executive Council after the expiration of his contract in December 2019.

The former coach has written a book titled  'Leaders Don't Have To Yell'. The book touched on many issues with the most making the headline, detailing the very reason why he was sacked in 2014 after the World Cup.

Kwasi Appiah in his book has accused the former president, HE John Dramani Mahama as the brain behind his sack.

" Kwasi Nyantekyi called me to his office that day and informed me that, he had been asked by the president of the nation to relieve me of my duties"

He insisted the government of the day was politically appointing staff of the national team and so was made the scapegoat about the brouhaha in Brazil.

" When decisions about the national team staff became that heavily politicised, it was very clear to me that the political machine was flexing its muscles to make me a scapegoat"

The former coach however wondered why the Sports Minister, Hon. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah who led the delegation to Brazil was reshuffled instead of being sacked.

" The Minister for Youth and Sports who should bear the ultimate responsibilities for the money issue that was at the heart of the Brazil problem was reassigned to another job in the president's office but I was rather fired" he asserted.