“Kwesi Appiah should have been rehired as Black Stars coach” – GOC president Ben Nunoo Mensah

President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Ben Nunoo Mensah, has expressed regret over the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) decision not to reappoint Kwesi Appiah as Black Stars head coach, arguing that Appiah’s experience and track record made him a better choice than Otto Addo.

After the Black Stars’ disappointing early exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Otto Addo stepped down but was reappointed in March 2023 on a three-year deal. Despite a strong start to his second tenure with victories over Mali and the Central African Republic in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Addo’s inability to guide Ghana to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has sparked widespread criticism.

Ghana finished bottom of Group F in the AFCON qualifiers, securing just three points from six matches, an outcome that has led to growing calls for Addo’s dismissal.

Nunoo Mensah, speaking to Asempa FM, lamented the GFA’s decision to overlook Kwesi Appiah when Chris Hughton departed following Ghana’s group-stage exit at the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast.

“In so many years, Kwesi Appiah has been one of Ghana’s best coaches, and it was sad we got him out in that manner,” he said. “When there was an opportunity to appoint him again, we overlooked him. Given our financial constraints, I believe we should focus on developing and trusting local coaches.”

He emphasized that Ghana’s most successful moments in AFCON history have come under local coaches, calling for renewed investment in homegrown talent.

“Most of the AFCON titles we won were with Ghanaian coaches. Why don’t we focus on building our own coaches to the level of Pep Guardiola and others? Local coaches will be more committed to the national cause,” Nunoo Mensah added.

Kwesi Appiah, who previously managed the Black Stars from 2012 to 2014 and again from 2017 to 2020, made history as the first Ghanaian coach to lead the team to World Cup qualification in 2014.

As the GFA’s Executive Council deliberates on the future of Otto Addo following Ghana’s AFCON failure, calls for a return to prioritizing local coaching talent like Appiah continue to gain traction.