Candid Corner: The second coming of Milo?

I am still trying to cope with the sour taste left in my mouth by some disturbing stories that made the headlines earlier in the week. By far the most shocking was the sacking of Kwasi Appiah as the manager of the Black Stars.

For sure, Kwasi Appiah being fired is not the kind of news that can leave Ghana football topsy-turvy and precipitate some kind of crisis. For some, his departure was a matter of course as the signs had been on the wall for some time.

As a matter of fact, there are those who have insisted time and again that the beginning of the end for Appiah came at Equitorial Guinea/Gabon 2012 where the Black Stars were divested of all respect and awe by countries such as Cape Verde, Burkina Faso and Niger. In their estimation, his continued stay at post was on borrowed time that would run out, come what may.

What people have found intriguing was the timing of the sack, especially the circumstances leading to that major decision. We doubtless made heavy weather of our 2015 Nations Cup qualifier against Uganda at the Baba Yara Stadium last week when hopes were very high for a comfortable win to make the march to Morocco 2015 less arduous. The 1-1 draw in Kumasi was an outcome that shocked experts of the game across the length and breadth of the continent.

Three days later, and against all odds, when the Stars defeated the Hawks of Togo 3-2 in Lome, it restored national pride and rekindled hope in the four-time African champions to retrace the difficult path to the heights of continental glory. What followed next- the controversial sack of Appiah- only added to the confusion that had occasionally marked his tenure in one of the world’s hottest football seats.

Regardless of how strong the desire of some people to see the back of Kwasi was, his exit didn’t have to assume the embarrassing manner in which it was carried out. It could have been done in a respectable and more considerate manner that would have left his image intact.

If there is one thing that can easily cause most Ghanaians the greatest pain in relation to Kwasi Appiah’s exit, it is the strong indication that the man likely to take over from him is his former boss, Milovan Rajevac (Milo), who took Ghana to a historic quarter-final stage at South Africa 2010.

I am prepared to cross my heart anywhere, anytime that Milo is one of the most efficient coaches to have walked the face of this country despite the fact that his defensive style of play was always a recipe for hypertension for some of us.

Under his care, Ghana was never humiliated in battle. Even when we were losers in battles, our opponents testified to the tactical strength of the Black Stars. That was what nearly took us to the semi-final stage at South Africa 2010.

Many a coach would have felt honoured and encouraged to stand by Ghana to take her football to a new level in the country’s history, but that wasn’t the case with Milo. He turned his back on Ghana and followed the smell of ‘good money’ elsewhere.

Milo’s commitment can be called into question in view of how he treated this country. We haven’t also forgotten how, on account of alleged self-interest, he almost destroyed the brilliant career of Eric Bekoe and rather did everything under the sun to save that of some good-for-nothing players he called up regularly to the Stars. Suffice it to say that these favoured players of the coach failed to make any mark because they simply had no business being in the national team.

These are factors we need to ponder when thinking of searching for Appiah’s replacement. Need we put ourselves in a Milo strait jacket? Food for thought.