Anthony Baffoe, the first Ghanaian expatriate player to play for the Black Stars of Ghana, has publicly agreed with former captain Stephen Appiah.
Stephen Appiah, the Black Stars captain who helped Ghana qualify for their first World Cup in Germany in 2006, made a bold statement in an interview with Sompa FM in Kumasi last Saturday.
Stephen Appiah, a former Accra Hearts of Oak sensation, rose through the ranks, representing the Black Stars 67 times and scoring 14 goals.
Stephen Appiah, the 2007 Turkish Footballer of the Year, has served as Black Star Team Manager since May 2017 but was fired after the Black Stars’ dismal performance in Cameroon during the recent African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
He stated that former footballers should take centre stage in football administration in Ghana rather than highly educated individuals who are the country’s frontiers in managing football.
Appiah disclosed in an interview with Sompa FM/TV that “Legends and former players are not getting the chance around football administration. I have learned something: football is run by footballers. It is not the grammar or English that you speak.”
He emphasised the importance of football, particularly how he could follow the instructions of an Italian coach despite his inability to communicate in Italian.
“It is about insights, which is why, when I went to Italy without speaking Italian, I could understand the coach who was speaking Italian. I hope that one day—not me, Stephen Appiah necessarily—but I hope one day, one of us will get to lead and we will all support,” Appiah disclosed.
Anthony Baffoe, a Ghanaian legend and former deputy general secretary of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has declared on his official Twitter handle that he shares the same sentiment as Ghana’s first World Cup captain.
The former Fortuna Düsseldorf defender tweeted, “I totally agree with our Capitano @StephenAppiah.”
