Kwesi Appiah Is The Coach; Lets Give Him The Backing He Needs – MP

HON. KOBENA MENSAH WISDOM WOYOME

Member of Parliament (MP) for South Tongu Constituency, Honorable Kobena Mensah Woyome has charged Ghanaians to back head coach for the Black Stars, James Kwesi Appiah following the captaincy issue that has become a problem in the last 24 hours.

Captain for the Stars, Asamoah Gyan announced his retirement from international duty even though he had been included in the 30-man squad that is supposed to begin comping next month in preparation towards the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

According to a statement released by the player, his decision to call it quits is because head coach James Kwesi Appiah has decided to name a new captain for the side even though he is fit and around to play for the team.

The news seems to have caused some division in the country with some people supporting the player’s stance. For some others, the decision by the coach is a norm that has been going on in the Black Stars over the years and should not be a big deal at this point in time.

Speaking in an interview with Class FM on the back of all that is going on, Hon. Kobena Mensah Woyome who is also a Ranking Member on Parliament’s Committee on Youth, Sports, and Culture stressed that the coach has been given the power to take charge of the team and should be given the backing he needs when he takes a decision.

“Let somebody not take this as an opportunity and to disrupt the entire preparation towards the AFCON. I think at this point the meetings must be in such a way that all must be brought together and let us also be careful with we don’t put the coach in a position in terms of his work that he ought to undertake because he has to take the team to AFCON and then ensure that what Ghanaians want is actually delivered. And so we need to give the coach that strength, that backing, that power”, he explained.

He further called on all parties involved in the ongoing impasse to put everything aside and prioritize the common goal of the team which is to go to Egypt and win a 5^th AFCON title.

“It is too dangerous. Let us look at Ghana first. Let us begin to look at what is ahead of us. Let’s look at what it is and the role. The coach is the head. You are supposed to be the coach. You can’t sit in a vehicle and ask the mate to come and drive”, he said.