Stop buying cars and invest - Kwasi Appiah tells players

Head coach of Ghana’s Black Stars, Kwasi Appiah has advised players to stop living lavish lives and start investing their money into good businesses if they aspire to live fulfilled lives after retiring from football.

Football is known to have transformed the lives of players who came from poverty but many stories abound where players and sportsmen who made millions during their careers end up going broke because they failed to plan.

Kwasi Appiah explained to Ghanaweb TV on Sports Check that although most players earn money in their early lives they must think of the future instead of focusing on the present. According to Kwasi Appiah, young players must learn and take huge inspiration/lessons from retired players who have gone broke after football.

The former Black Stars captained said, “this is the thing that most young players need to learn, recently I gathered the players and I was advising them, now they may be earning millions in Europe but you should ask yourself ‘the next ten years when you cannot play what are you going to do?’ I ask many of them and they were all seated, I said it’s important to try and invest now because once you stop football you will not face the challenges the older footballers encountered.”

The former coach of Asante Kotoko noted that the uncertainties in the game of football like injuries can end the illustrious career of a promising player but with good investments, they can be able to enjoy life after football.

Sighting to an instance where some Black Stars players got injured for two years, Kwasi Appiah said, “you could be playing and one day you get injured and you can’t play anymore. Someone like Baba Rahman he had to stay home for one year and Jerry Akaminko stayed home for two years, they just started playing. So in that aspect when you’re injured you don’t get the same money you are used to.”

“So if you don’t get lucky and come back, then you ask yourself, what have I done and what am I going to rely on,” Kwasi Appiah told Ghanaweb TV.

The coach has set up, the Kwasi Appiah Foundation which will help in the development of retired sports personalities through financial assistance, health aid and skill development.

Some notable Ghanaian players have invested in their future by investing in thriving businesses. Captain of the Black Stars Asamoah Gyan is known for investing in boxing, beverages and is about to setup an airline whiles Derek Boateng has set up the five-star Mendiata hotel.

Watch full interview of Black Stars Coach Kwasi Appiah on Sports Check