Former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, has said that a coach’s commitment to making an impact was a key factor in selecting a gaffer for the Black Stars.
He explained that coaches with great accomplishments were not his focus, but rather those who were eager and showed signs of success.
Nyantakyi bemoaned the five Black Stars coaches that have been appointed in five years under the Kurt Okraku-led GFA administration, adding that it’s part of the reason the team is struggling.
“Our Black Stars haven’t been good. We’ve appointed five coaches in five years, but we are not seeing any changes, so judging as an outsider, things haven’t been great.
“Anytime I’m doing recruitment, I want someone who is hungry for success, not people who have already achieved,” he said during an interview with Lawson FM in Kumasi.
The former CAF first vice president went on to narrate how he used the same approach to appoint Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac, who led the Black Stars to the quarter-finals in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“Milovan Rajevac convinced me that he would be able to endure the hardship in Africa, and that made me appoint him. He told me he was on the bus with his former club Vojvodina for 1,000 kilometers, and he was on the bus together with the players.
“That honestly convinced me to appoint him, and he excelled when given the opportunity. I think the Serbians and Africans have something similar, and when Milo came in, he did not disappoint us,” he added.
The Kurt Okraku-led GFA administration has been criticized over the poor performances of the various national teams, especially the Black Stars’ failure to qualify for the 2025 AFCON.
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