Michael Osei calls for support for CK Akonnor

Former Asante Kotoko coach, Michael Osei has implored Ghanaians to rally behind newly appointed Black Stars head coach, Charles Kwablah Akonnor, to succeed.

CK Akonnor has been named as a replacement for Coach Kwasi Appiah, with former Hearts of Oak coach, David Duncan, as his deputy.

However, according to Mr Osei, the time had come for Ghanaians to appreciate that local coaches were the best for this country.

“I am calling on all Ghanaians to throw their support behind local coaches, especially Coach C.K Akonnor. We the local coaches can also be like the foreign ones we all want to see provided we are given the needed time and space for the job," he told Graphic Sports.

“I think C. K can do the job because he has the requisite knowledge, " he posited.

Coach Osei, head coach of Division One side, Star Madrid FC, believes that there is little or no difference between those expatriate coaches who have managed the Black Stars and his colleagues.

“Honestly, the white coaches are not different from us, we have learnt same as they have done and so where is the difference?

“Some of them who come to look for the Black Stars job normally do not have any pedigree in coaching but they end up getting the job and being appreciated and supported because they are expatriates", Osei said.

In his view, if Ghanaians would throw away the mentality that everything Ghanaian was bad and begin to support our own, it would help us to succeed.

"Ghanaians must do away with that notion and support our own to succeed."

Before Coach Akonnor's appointment, he worked under Coach Kwasi Appiah briefly as his deputy for the Cameroun 2021 AFCON qualifiers against South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe.

Akonnor, just before becoming the Black Stars deputy coach, had a fine spell with Asante Kotoko where he led them to the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup before he left the club in July 2019.