Football not for school dropouts - Coach Kwasi Appiah

“I don’t know where that notion came from, but it is a perception that seems to have held sway in Ghana for a long time. What most people do not know is that to be a successful footballer, one must have the knowledge and wisdom to play well enough to excel.

“More often than not, God, in His own infinite grace, blesses the children of poor people to make it through sports, but that does not mean everyone who does sports is good for nothing. Elsewhere, it’s rather the children of those who can afford who do very well in sports, but in Ghana and most African countries, it is the opposite.

When I was growing up, my parents were not poor, yet I was so interested in sports. See where it has brought me today,” the former Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Black Stars captain stressed.

“All around the world, many wealthy people are into sports. Think about the Michael Essiens, the Emmanuel Adebayors, the John Mikel Obis, Sulley Muntaris, and the other sportsmen and sportswomen and footballers particularly all over the world.

Yes, they may not have pursued the normal academic careers, but we can’t say they are dropouts.

 “I would want to encourage all young people who are interested in sport  to take it up seriously because it opens up huge windows of opportunity. Now, sport  even provides an opportunity for scholarships for further education. Even if you miss out, you can still make up for the lost time if you have the interest by investing the money you make  in paying your fees when you are past your prime in active sports. Many people have done that and succeeded,” Coach Appiah stressed.

For someone who almost missed out on chasing his dream of playing football, Kwasi Appiah  would like all young people to take a cue from his experience.

While he was growing up, his late father, Kwaku Appiah, an auctioneer, was not enthused about him taking to sports.

So right from his primary school days   in Sunyani, his father would rather have him concentrate on  his books,  instead of playing for his school team.

However, when he entered Opoku Ware School in Kumasi, where sport was compulsory, there was very little his father could do to prevent him from getting into it. He played hockey for the school team and also took part in athletics, as well as football.

It was during one of such school competitions that Coach Kwasi Afranie spotted Appiah and monitored his progress. Immediately after Appiah’s O’ Levels, Coach Afranie convinced Appiah’s dad and took him to Mine Stars in Tarkwa where he later earned a place in the national Under-23 team, the Black Meteors.

Impressed with Appiah’s performance, Coach Afranie took him to Kumasi Asante Kotoko and that was the defining moment of his career. At Kotoko, Appiah rose to become the captain of the team, winning several competitions, including the league title and the Africa Club competition, now the CAF Champions League.

By dint of hard work and discipline, Appiah, who played as a defender, also became the captain of the Black Stars, and on retirement he underwent several coaching courses while living in London with his family.

He returned to Ghana in 2008 and became the assistant coach of the Black Stars under Serbian coaches Milovan Rajevac and Goran Stevanovic, during which time the team went to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)  held in Angola and the World Cup staged in South Africa, as well as AFCON 2012.

When Stevanovic left the Stars job after AFCON 2012, Appiah was handed the job and he led the Stars to a fourth place finish at AFCON 2013 staged in South Africa.

Asked what he would have become had he not stuck to football, Coach Appiah thought hard, gave a broad smile and said: “For sure a chartered accountant. I was fascinated by the numbers and was very strong in that field. I have no doubt that would also have made my dad proud as it meant I would dress in suit most of the time. I think that fascinated my father a lot. I, however, cannot blame him. At that time, it was the dream and the pride of every parent to see his or her children take up white-collar jobs, as that was what they thought earned more respect in society.

“But now I think every job done with decency and dedication and which pays well is more important than anything else. All of us cannot take up white-collar jobs and that is what I want young people to understand. Everyone is very important. It’s like the body. We cannot say the legs, because they carry the body, are the most important; or the head, because it has most of the parts, is most important. We all play our roles to make life and society complete.”

Unfortunately, Appiah, who describes football as part of his everyday life, has no son to take after him, as he has three adult daughters — Peggy, Audrey and Mary Pearl — who are ardent football fans, though.

His biggest fans are the “ladies in his life”, as he describes his daughters and his wife, Angela.

He is a staunch Catholic and says apart from the discipline, determination and dedication that have brought him this far, his main pillar has been his faith in God.

Story by Rosalind K. Amoh/Junior Graphic