Accra, July 16, GNA - "Sir" Cecil Jones Attuaquayefio, former coach of the senior national team, Black Stars, has stressed on the importance of respect and trust for African coaches from their kinsmen otherwise they would always be made to play second fiddle to their foreign counterparts.
The coach in an interview with the GNA Sport in Accra on Wednesday, said until there is such a radical change in the attitude of Africans countries towards their own coaches, they would not have the confidence to achieve any meaningful development.
Coach Attuaquayefio said on many occasions African coaches are made to feel as if they do not know what they are about as everything they do is questioned and that takes away the confidence needed to make any strides.
"Decisions that we take on the pitch are not different from what our foreign colleagues do, but the moment questions start flying in, the players we are handling even loose the confidence in us.
"It high time that we are given the chance to put whatever philosophy we have about the game into practise and with the needed patience the fruits of our efforts would be there for all to see"
Jones who was fired from the Black Stars some three years ago is currently the head coach of the Beninois national team where he has made history by qualifying them, for the first time, to the African Cup of nations scheduled for Tunisia in January, next year.
He said has been able to achieve the whatever he did with the support of the people, who mattered most and who stood for him, irrespective of what others said.
Coach Attuquayefio said on most occasions football administrators are blamed for firing coaches but the crust of the matter is that football administrators mirror what society thinks.
He said since it has become obvious that foreign coaches are not the solution to the African game and it was important that we all take sombre reflection and give local coaches, who always have the interest of their countries at heart, the opportunity rather than foreigners. He said he accepted the challenge from the Beninois with one aim, that is to prove to all that African coaches are not inferior to their foreign counterparts and what ever can be done by the "white man" can equally be replicated by the African coach provided the atmosphere of work is conducive.
"The only thing we have demanded and would always demand is that whatever we come out with be it training programmes should be respected by the administrators who should know that their job is not coaching and should leave the technical aspect to the technical men". He thanked Ghanaians and his fellow coaches for the support and encouragement they gave him when he took over this seemingly impossible job, but which thankfully had been made possible at the very end.
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