Ghana Month: Top five Ghanaian coaches of all-time

A common premise often referenced by proponents of ‘no white coach for Black Stars’ brigade is the fact that the four trophies won by the team since its establishment came under the tutelage of Black coaches, specifically Ghanaians.

For people who share this thought, employing the services of a white man is a betrayal of the ‘black man is capable of managing his own affairs’ pronouncement made by the country’s first president Kwame Nkrumah.

Evidence abounds to support the claim that Ghanaian coaches deserve to handle the team as the white coaches have yet to surpass the records or achievements set by their Ghanaians counterparts.

Bar Milovan Rajevac’s quarter-final finish at the 2010 World Cup, there isn’t a single feat by a foreigner which supersedes any of the record achieved by the Black coaches.

In the Ghanaian Premier League and national teams, some Ghanaian coaches etched their names in history with their ability to inspire teams to success.

Some have even had the honour of coaching foreign nationals teams and clubs.

In the month of March, we celebrate some personalities whose exploits have shaped the image of the country and also reveal some interesting facts about the country.

Today, our lenses focus on some coaches whose insight and knowledge into football discovered footballers for the country and also won laurels.

Below are our top five Ghanaian coaches of all time

Charles Kumi Gyamfi

A fine footballer who transitioned smoothly into coaching and became better and more popular football person.

Gyamfi is arguably the greatest coach in Ghana football history and remains an epitome of coaching excellence on the African continent.

Until 2010 when Shehata’s Egypt defeated Ghana to win the AFCON, Gyamfi was the only coach to have won three titles.

Three of Ghana’s four titles were won by teams with Gyamfi as head coach in 1963, 65 and 82 which happens to be the last time the nation won a silverware.

CK Gyamfi also had coaching stints with Somalia, AshantiGold, AFC Leopard and the defunct Municipal club.

Osam Duodu

One of two coaches to have won a trophy with the Black Stars, Duodo won Ghana its third AFCON title in 1978.

He led Ghana's U20 team, the Black Satellites, to win the 1993 Africa U20 Cup of Nations and finished second during the Fifa World Youth Championship a few months later in Australia.

His historic under-17 team had the likes of Arhinful, Samuel Osei Kuffour, C.K Akunnor and Nii Odartey Lamptey.

In 2004, he was appointed head coach of Gambia's U17 national team and guided them to win the Africa U17 Nations Cup for the first time, defeating Ghana on their way.

Sam Arday

Arday won several trophies for Ghana but it is his affection for talent nurturing and tactics that won him a lot of admirers.

Known as the multi-purpose man, Sam Arday is celebrated for discovering some of Ghana’s best footballers.

Christian Gyan, Yaw Preko, Shamo Quaye and Osei Kuffour are some of the players who benefited from Arday’s talent nurturing dexterity. He was the coach when Ghana made history as the African country to win an Olympic Football medal.

His Black Starlets side won the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship Trophy in Ecuador and the African Under-17 Championship in Mali.

He also had spells with the Black Stars and the Satellites.

He also handled Okwawu United, Accra Great Olympics, Hearts of Oak, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, and later Gomoa Fetteh Feyenoord where he was the Technical Director until his demise.

Cecil Jones Attuquayefio

In May 2015, death took away one of Ghana’s prodigious sons. At age 70, Attuquayefio departed the earth as the greatest coach in the history of Ghana’s oldest existing club.

He won multiple league titles with Hearts of Oak, Ashgold and Olympics. It is a continental feat with Hearts of Oak that gave his legendary status a meteoric rise.

Four years after winning the CAF Champions League with Hearts, Sir Jones as he affectionately led the club to success in the 2004 Confederation Cup. He also won the CAF Super Cup title with them.

With the national team, he led the Starlets to bronze in the 1999 FIFA World Cup. His team had the likes of Michael Essien, Michael Osei, Dong Bortey and Stephen Oduro. He had a brief stint with the Black Stars where he famously used a team virtually made up of Hearts of Oak players to play a 0-0 drawn game with Nigeria’ Super Eagles.

League titles with Olympics, Hearts and then Goldfields, a CAF Super Cup, Champions League and Confederation Cup titles winner, the Sir of Ghana football is without a shred of doubt the most successful club coach.

He is also the first coach to qualify Benin to Africa Cup of Nations in 2004.

Herbet Addo

Herbert Addo is the only coach in Ghana football history whose team went an entire season unbeaten and also the only coach to win the league with a team in their first season in Ghana’s topflight league.

A common feature of his teams was their defensive shrewdness. Herbert Addo qualified Okwahu to the GPL and won WAFU Championships with Hasaaacas and Kumasi Corner Stones.

He won league titles with Goldfields S.C now Ashgold , Accra Hearts of Oak and Aduana Stars (2010) and also sent Goldfields to the finals of the 1996/1997 Champions League.

He also managed the Black Meteors, and Black Satellites and Black Stars.

Special mentions

Ibrahim Sunday

Sellas Tetteh

Ben Koufie

EK Afranie