Sacked Ghana Coach Blames Mgt …For Brazil Poor Show

COACH Kwesi Appiah has blamed the Black Stars management team for the brouhaha that characterized Ghana's participation at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The dismissed coach has come under intense criticism after the 2014 World Cup, with cynics citing technical ineptitude as the reason for Ghana's poor showing in Brazil.

But he has come out to set the records straight after falling out of favour with his employers, noting that management's consistent failed promises regarding player appearance fee accounted for all the confusion that reared its ugly head in the Black Stars camp during the mundial.

He said on Metro TV last Tuesday that the situation in the Black Stars camp was so bad that apart from him, no official could stand the team's fury at a point.

The former Black Stars coach, who is yet to receive his dismissal letter from the Ghana Football Association (GFA), downplayed rumours that he lost control in the team's dressing room.

To him, it was management rather that lost its influence over the players due to broken promises to pay the players their $100,000 appearance fee.

He also rubbished claims that the players disrespected him by failing to train for two days, and that there was tension between himself and Marseille winger Dede Ayew saying, 'Dede calls me Daddy'.

The coach pointed out that 'it got to a time I was the one who could go and face the players in Brazil. If you put yourself in my shoes, where they have been promised that they will get the money and they get there and the money is not there, as a coach what can you do?

'It was management's inability to honour its promises that ultimately undermined the performance of the team,' he added.

The Black Stars, for the first time in their World Cup history, failed to go past the Group stage after picking just a point from three games in the 2014 World Cup.

Coach Appiah resumed work for the African Cup of Nations Cup qualifiers by guiding the Black Stars to a 1-1 drawn game with Uganda in Kumasi. He then went to Lome and snatched all points from the Hawks of Togo, but was sacked 24 hours after the victory on September 11.

BY Kofi Owusu Aduonum