GhanaWeb Feature by Benjamin Sackey
The impressive performance of the Sudanese national team in recent times has led to high euphoria across the continent, with two Ghanaian coaches managing them.
Interestingly, the two main coaches leading the technical team happen to be Ghanaians: James Kwasi Appiah as the head coach and Ignatius Osei-Fosu as the assistant coach.
This GhanaWeb sports piece details the profiles of the coaches and how they have performed with the Sudan national team since they took charge.
James Kwesi Appiah, born on 30 June 1960, also known as Akwasi Appiah, is a Ghanaian football coach and former player. He became the manager of Ghana in 2017. Appiah, a left-back, played club football with Asante Kotoko, playing for them between 1983 and 1993.
Appiah played for the Ghanaian national team between 1987 and 1992, appearing in two FIFA World Cup qualifying matches; he also captained the team. He has received technical training from English clubs Manchester City and Liverpool. Appiah was the assistant coach for Ghana between 2007 and 2012.
In 2011, he headed the U23 team to win the All-Africa Games. He qualified the Black Stars for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, making history as the first African coach to qualify Ghana to the World Cup. After resigning in September 2014, he was appointed again in April 2017.
In September 2023, Appiah was appointed as the head coach of Sudan’s men’s national team and signed a three-year contract.
Before this appointment, Appiah coached Sudanese club Al-Khartoum in 2014 and helped the team finish fourth in the league.
Ignatius Osei-Fosu
Ignatius Osei-Fosu started his coaching career by working with Mas-Ud Didi Dramani during his stint with Asante Kotoko. In 2016, he served as the assistant coach of Liberty Professionals and left his role in September 2017. In 2019, Osei-Fosu was appointed as the head coach of Techiman Eleven Wonders, where he placed 12th on the league table before the league was truncated due to COVID-19.
Eleven Wonders finished in the same position with his contract expiring afterward. In August 2021, Osei-Fosu signed a three-year deal with Medeama.
Osei-Fosu is now the assistant coach to Kwasi Appiah, who took over the Sudanese national team in September 2023. They have been flourishing with the team despite not having top players.
The team’s performance under their tutelage:
Since they took over the Sudanese national team, they have played sixteen matches, won eight, lost four, and drawn four. The team has scored 20 goals, conceded 11, and kept eight clean sheets.
After playing four matches in the 2025 African Cup of Nations Qualifiers, Sudan are in second position in Group F with seven points, needing a draw in their remaining two games to seal qualification.
The most recognizable moment that resonates among Ghanaians is when Sudan held Black Stars to a goalless draw at the Accra Sports Stadium and defeated them 2-0 at a neutral ground in Libya.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Sudan are leading Group B with ten points after four matches. The group includes African giants like Senegal and DR Congo, yet Kwasi Appiah’s men are proving to be a tough side.
Ghanaians react to Black Stars‘ 2-0 defeat to Sudan
