Five local coaches who could takeover Black Stars job

After witnessing a very abysmal performance of the Black Stars under the tutelage of a foreign coach at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, a section of Ghanaians have called for one of their own to become the next coach of the senior national team.

Four months after his appointment in 2021, Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac was axed as Ghana’s head coach as the Black Stars scripted their worst history at the continental showpiece.

The Black Stars exited the group stages picking just a point. The team which had 17 debutantes failed to win any game at the tournament as they lost to Morocco and Comoros and picked up a point against Gabon.

Milovan Rajevac was shown the exit on January 25, 2022, exactly five days after the team returned home following a directive from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Following the Serbian’s dismissal, there have been speculations over who will be named the next coach of the Black Stars.

Since Ghana’s four AFCON titles were won by local coaches, it is believed that only a Ghanaian coach can lead Ghana to the promised land of winning the next AFCON in 2023 and qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Here are five home-based coaches who could be considered for the Black Stars job

Samuel Boadu

Regarded as the ‘Saviour’, coach Samuel Boadu took over Hearts of Oak in the middle of last season and led them to win their 21st Ghana Premier League title after an 11-year wait. The former Medeama coach topped it up with a double after he defeated Ashantigold to win the MTN FA Cup.

Despite not having a good campaign in Africa with the Phobians and struggling to close the point gap with rivals Asante Kotoko, a section of Ghanaians are convinced that the head coach of the national Under-15 team is capable of leading the Black Stars.

Didi Dramani

Arguably the most qualified coach on the list, Didi Dramani’s achievement on the local scene cannot be out of sight. The former Asante Kotoko coach is the only gaffer to have won the domestic league back-to-back in the last two decades.

Currently, with FC Nordsjælland, Didi holds a CAF Senior Coaches Instructor, Assessor, License A and B among many others.

According to many disciples of the game, Didi’s best partner would be Yussif Basigi, who led Hasaacas Ladies to conquer Africa and win 5 trophies in the 2020/21 season.

Ibrahim Tanko

The only ex-player on the list to have played football at the highest level, Ibrahim Tanko has been able to garner enough experience as Assistant Coach for Cameroon national team under Volker Finke in 2015.

Tanko later returned home to improve his CV gaining the position of an assistant coach for the Black Stars under Kwesi Appiah and was recently handed Ghana’s U-23 team with the task of qualifying the team for the 2020 Olympic Games but never achieved his target.

The issue on the minds of many is the inability of Tanko to stamp his authority on the team and possible interference from the FA

Sellas Tetteh

Viewed by many as one of the coaches who should have managed the Black Stars in the past, Sellas Tetteh is always overlooked when the job becomes vacant.

Tetteh led Ghana to win the 2009 U-20 FIFA World Cup in Egypt, beating Brazil in the final. His generation of players were later promoted to the senior national team who later made it to the 2010 AFCON final where they lost to Egypt by 1-0.

Tetteh is regarded as a well-principled coach who will instil discipline in the team and also withstand player influence from football authorities.

After managing Sierra Leone and Rwanda’s national team, the 65-year-old now acts as an interim coach for Liberty Professionals.

Maxwell Konadu

The former Asante Kotoko coach has spent more time in the national team than any coach, often acting as a deputy. Konadu has been Black Stars assistant coach three times, managed Ghana’s U-20, U-23 and also guided the Black Stars B to win the WAFU Nations Cup.

Konadu was the deputy to James Kwasi Appiah on two occasions, Avram Grant and recently the deputy to Milovan Rajevac on his second stint.

The 49-year-old has been honing his coaching career since 2011 and was one-time the interim Black Stars coach in 2017.

After, being groomed by the nation for 11-years, is it the time for the Legon Cities coach to assume the post of the Black Stars head coach?