Ghana vs Sudan and the 'uncomfortable' situation of Kwasi Appiah's role as Exco member and coach

GhanaWeb Feature

When Kwasi Appiah, who is still a member of the Interim Management Committee of Asante Kotoko, contested the Ghana Football Association elections in October 2023 and won one of the slots available to the Ghana Premier League clubs on the Executive Council, there was excitement as his presence served the dual purpose of having a former player and an active coach on a council whose decisions are hugely consequential to the direction of Ghana football.

A month prior to the GFA elections, Kwasi Appiah was confirmed as the head coach of the Sudanese national team. While his election was great news for the country as the nation’s leading technical brain arguably found a place on Ghana's football's most powerful organ, there were concerns about the potential conflict of interest that could arise out of the situation.

While the anxiety existed in Ghana, especially among persons who are sticklers for the rules, there were no imminent worries as Sudan and Ghana had not been paired up in any competition.

How the 2025 AFCON qualifiers draw changed the dynamics

Until July 2024, the relationship between Kwasi Appiah and Ghana relative to his commitments in Sudan had been fairly smooth, with impressive results in the World Cup qualifiers being the only point of media discourse.

The situation, however, changed when Ghana was paired with Sudan, Angola, and Niger in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The conversation that followed the draw was not about how Ghana was going to navigate the qualification but about the conflict of interest that arises with Kwasi Appiah being the head coach of Sudan and an Exco member.

The concern over conflict of interest was that with Kwasi Appiah being a member of a council that takes key decisions that shape the direction of Ghana football, his presence in meetings could expose him to pertinent information about Ghana's preparation for the AFCON qualifiers including matches against Sudan who are his employers.

Pressure mounts on Kwasi Appiah to resign

Immediately after the draw, discussions centered on a plot within the Exco of GFA to have Kwasi Appiah remove himself from the committee and focus on his job as Sudanese coach.

While the FA remained silent on the issue, reports indicate that there were moves behind the scenes to oust Kwasi Appiah, possibly through a vote at an Exco meeting.

While people within the corridors of power denied these reports, the notion was that the move could not be carried through as there is no provision in the GFA statutes that bars a Ghanaian head coach of another country from holding top positions in Ghana football.

Why Kwasi Appiah did not resign

Amid the rumors, Kwasi Appiah did not speak, at least in the public space, but instead recused himself from Ghana Football Association Executive Council meetings where preparations for the AFCON qualifiers were going to be topical.

Kwasi Appiah also received public support from personalities like Dr. Randy Abbey and Ibrahim Saanie Daara, who, despite their admission that the situation was uncomfortable, argued that Appiah’s resignation was not the answer. As recently revealed by Dr. Randy Abbey, Kwasi Appiah has not been present at a GFA meeting since the AFCON and is therefore not in the know of plans by the FA.

Ghana vs Sudan on October 11 and 15

When the Black Stars players take to the pitch on October 11 and 15 for the home and away matches respectively, they will not be facing their former coach but they will be facing someone who is a member of the topmost decision-making body in Ghana football.