Desailly backs Appiah’s sack
French football legend, Marcel Desailly, has stirred the hornest’s nest by endorsing the dismissal last month of Kwasi Appiah as Black Stars coach.
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He said there was some level of prudence in the decision taken by the Ghana Football Association (GFA), insisting that “Appiah made internal mistakes that did not suit them, on the way of managing the players, and that is why he got sacked.”
Appiah presided over Ghana’s worst World Cup campaign, losing 1-2 to the USA and Portugal, drawing 2-2 against Germany to leave Ghana at the bottom of Group G table at the 2014 World Cup.
In an interview with Accra-based TV3 at the weekend, Ghanaian-born Desailly, who was previously linked with the Stars top job before it was handed to Appiah two years ago, contended that those who took the decision to terminate the coach’s contract considered so many factors before they arrived at the decision.
Asked whether he agreed with the GFA’s decision, the 1998 World Cup winner said, “Yes… the answer is yes.”
“If they have done it, they have gathered all the elements to make that decision. Kwesi Nyantakyi has collected all the information to make that decision.
“Our president of the football federation is clever, he is competent, he has made the decision and he has to find the best coach for Black Stars again,” he added.
The former Olympique Marseille, AC Milan and Chelsea star contended that the GFA needed a coach who was capable of taking off [pressure] and bring a better environment around the team for the players to focus on delivering with the talent available.
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Even though Desailly insisted he had no immediate plans to succeed Appiah, the former France captain admitted he still nurtured the dream of handling the Stars in the future.
He took a swipe at the big name players in the Stars, saying he was utterly disappointed by the image they painted of the nation at the World Cup.
Desailly, a trained coach who holds a UEFA Pro License, argued : ”Big players must have positive egos. They must not have negative ego that will bring you down,” a suggestion that bloated egos by the players may have compromised their sense of professionalism and nationalism while at the World Cup in Brazil.