A historical overview of coaches who have managed the Ghanaian national football team

George Ainsley: The first Black Stars coach (1958-59)

The first ever coach hired to manage the Black Stars was George Ainsley from England in 1958. The first FA Cup was organized to raise money to pay his salaries. Although Ghana before that had been playing international football, that was the first time a full time trainer was brought on board to steer the technical bench of the team.

Andreas Djolberg and Josef Ember (1959-63)

Djolberg, the Swede and the Hungarian, Ember prepared the team for a home grown coach C.K Gyamfi, whom Djolberg coached in his playing days to take over.

The Golden era under C.K Gyamfi (1963-65)

Josef Ember was the third coach hired by the Ghana Amateur Football Association. Charles Kumi Gyamfi, a former player of the Black Stars group, who had earned a professional coaching career in Germany took over the technical bench of the senior national team of Ghana in 1963 following his football career.

C.K as he was popularly called made the Black Stars a championship side when they played their debut Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 1963 and won on home soil. He again masterminded their triumph in 1965 on Tunisian soil to become the first country to beat a host nation in the final.

The only minus in that era was that Ghana failed to translate their continental feat into World Cup qualification. At the time, there was only one slot shared by Africa and Asia, making qualification difficult. Ghana slipped in the African part of the qualifiers for the World Cup.

Carlos Alberto Perreira (1967)

Despite, the splendid feat chalked by C.K Gyamfi, there were calls from a section of the policy makers for his replacement in 1968. This was because Ghana had foreign assistance from Brazil to recruit Carlos Alberto Perreira without a fee. The Brazilian who would win the 1998 FIFA World Cup major test for the Black Stars was in Ethiopia 1968 Africa Cup of Nations, but he failed to replicate the achievement of C.K Gyamfi as Ghana suffered a defeat in the final to Zaire.

Karl Heinz Marotzke (1968-70)

The German would be remembered for propelling Ghana to a record four consecutive Africa Cup of Nations grand finale. Ghana also became the first country to lose the AFCON final on a back to back basis when they fell to hosts Sudan in 1970.

Nicolae Dumitru, Karl Weigang and Oswaldo Carlos Sampaio (1974-78)

This is the period these trainers took charge of the team, Nicolae from Romania, Weigang, the German and Sampaio, their term would be classified as one of the darkest periods in Ghana football from 1974 to 1978, since Ghana failed to qualify for both the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations.

Osam Duodu: The Brazilian connection (1988-89)

Osam Duoudu assisted by his compatriots E.K Afranie brought Ghana back to the pinnacle of African football when they guided the team to win the Africa Cup of Nations for keeps in 1978. Ghana earned the tag, the Brazil of Africa, because Brazil had won the FIFA World Cup for good in 1970 and the Black Stars who had assembled in Brazil twice for a training tour were likened to the great Brazilian team that won the FIFA World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Osam Duoudu and Afranie before the AFCON were sponsored to witness a FIFA World Cup all in an attempt to let them learn new things.

Osam Duodu and his Black Stars in an attempt to defend the title messed up big time by failing to qualify from their group in 1980. Under him the woes of Ghana continued as they got knocked out from the World Cup qualifiers at the early stage.

The return of C.K Gyamfi (1982-83)

The man revered by many on the continent made it a hat-trick as a coach by winning the Africa Cup of Nations for a record third time when against all odds he led the Black Stars to beat hosts Libya on North African soil. That would be the last time the Black Stars would win the Africa Cup of Nations. He gave whizkid Abedi Pele the chance to feature prominently in the Black Stars

E.K Afranie-The Bouake debacle (1984)

E.K Afranie failed to glitter when he was handed substantive position at the Black Stars, as he exited the Africa Cup of Nations from the group stage in Ivory Coast 1984 and returned in 2002. This is called the Bouake debacle because Ghana was hosted in that city.

Hebert Addo (1984)

Herbert Addo had a short stint with the Black Stars in 1984, guiding them to win WAFU.

Rudi Gutendorf (1986-87)

The Germans era didn’t see much in terms of success as Ghana were edged out of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and also didn’t play in the AFCON in 1986

Bukhard Ziese and Otto Phister: The era of the Germans (1990-93)

The German Ziese qualified Ghana for the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations finals after eight years of absence, but his compatriot Otto Phister was handed the team and he propelled Ghana to the final against their West African Neighbours, Ivory Coast, but the Black Stars lost 10-11 in a marathon penalty shootout.

Aggrey Fyn (1994)

The Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, after the Germans had failed Ghana entrusted the coaching job of the Black Stars in an indigenous coach Aggrey Fyn, the skipper of the 1963 Africa Cup of Nations winning team. However, his Black Stars job was short lived after his quest to win the trophy as a coach and manager couldn’t materialize in Tunisia 1994, coupled with the division in the team due to Abedi Pele and Tony Yeboah factions.

Jorgen Larsen, Petr Gavrilla, Ishamael Kurtz and Rinus Israel (1995-96)

Larsen from Germany, Gavrilla from Romania, Kurtz from Brazil and Israel from Netherlands were all unsuccessful and were shown the exit door within a short time. Rinus Israel had the chance to make a case in the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations, but he failed to navigate Ghana through the group stage.

Sam Arday (1996-97)

The multi-system man was also tested when the Black Stars job was given to him from 1996 to 1997. He would return in 2004 as stop gap coach.

Giusseppe Dossenna (1999-2000)

Dosena came as coach of the U-20 team of Ghana the Black Satellites and after grinding results that won the team the Africa Youth Championship in 1999, he was given a bigger challenge. He was given the Black Stars job, but he couldn’t make a significant impact as Ghana suffered elimination at the quarter finals of the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations in Kumasi against South Africa. Although he had a good start to his World Cup campaign by thrashing Sierra Leone five, he was sacked by the Sports Minister E.T Mensah due to some misunderstanding against the wishes of many Ghanaians.

Jones Cecil Attuquayefio (2001)

Jones Attoquayefio, following a successful club coaching career that won him the Ghana Premier League in 1999 and crowned it with a treble in 2000 by defending the FA Cup and league titles, adding the CAF Champions League was handed the Black Stars job in late 2000. He appointed James Kwesi Appiah as his assistant. However, the Hearts of Oak cum Black Stars coach was sacked after he had some bad days in office. It was his era in 2001 that he selected a Black Stars team that comprised majority of the Hearts of Oak team that won the 2000 Champions League to face a star-studded Nigerian side in a World Cup qualification game in Ghana that ended goalless.

The return of Fred Osam-Duodu (2001-02)

The highlight of Osam Duodu’s return to the Black Stars in 2001 saw the sack of Samuel Osei Kuffour from the Black Stars camp over issues of inciting other players to kick against the quality of their kits during the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations staged in Mali. Ghana were seen off from the competition by Nigeria. Isaac Boakye’s brace had earned them a late victory against Burkina Faso in the final group game. Osam Duodu has coached the Black Stars in four different periods: 1978-1981, 1988-89, 1993, 2000 and 2001.

Bukhard Ziese-Pays Ghana back (2003)

The German tactician, following his sack in 1992, after qualifying the Black Stars to the 1992 AFCON was hired by the Ben Kouffie led GFA to guide Ghana to the 2004 AFCON in Tunisia, but the football world were shocked as the Black Stars for the first time since 1990 couldn’t make it to the tournament. One infamous decision he made was bringing back Eddie Ansah, who was in the tail end of his career to man the post. He was sacked after the shambolic performance and sent the case to FIFA for unfair treatment and was compensated.

Ralf Zumdick (2003)

He came in as a stop gap coach and was later replaced

The era of the Serbs

Milan Zivodinovic (2002)

The Serbian Milan Zivadinovic took charge of the Black Stars with high hopes of succeeding, but his lackadaisical attitude made his tenure short. He travelled most often to see family members and he finally left with the excuse that his mother was sick in his home country. Ghana took the matter to FIFA for a breach of contract.

Mariano Barreto (2003-04)

The Portuguese is remembered for qualifying the Black Meteors to the 2004 Olympics staged at Athens. He was the coach who sacked Sulley Muntari from camp during the tournament. He started the World Cup campaign well, but abandoned his contract

Ratomir Dujkovic (2004-06)

The Sebian Dukovic made history by becoming the first coach to book a place for Ghana in the World Cup finals, when he topped a group that had Burkinafaso, DR Congo, Cape Verde and South Africa. The GFA kept faith in Ratomir Dujkovoic despite a poor AFCON campaign in Egypt that saw the Black Stars fail to progress past the group stage. In the World Cup helped Ghana qualify from a difficult group that had Italy, Czech Republic and USA, who were all highly ranked on the FIFA ranking prior to the mundial.

Claude Le Roy (2006-08)

The Frenchman was expected to win the AFCON that had eluded the nation for decades, but Nkong broke Ghanaian hearts as he came off from the bench to strike the goal that denied Ghana a place in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations finals on home soil against Cameroon. He resigned afterwards to seek new challenge. Claude Le Roy gave youngsters like Kwadwo Asamoah and Andre Ayew the opportunity to play for the Black Stars

Milovan Rajevac (2008-10)

When Le Roy resigned, Ghana who had felt in love with Serbian coaches looked for a Serbian to replace him and then came Milovan Rajevac. He continued the business by guiding Ghana to the final of the 2010 AFCON held in Angola but lost the final to the champions Egypt. He qualified Ghana with two games to go to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and enabled Ghana join Cameroon and Senegal as the only Africa Nations to reach the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup. But for Asamoah Gyan’s miss from the spot kick, after Suarez hand had denied a late goal, Ghana would have reached the semifinals under Rajevac’s watch. He had faith in youngsters like Kwadwo Asamoah, Andre Ayew, Dominic Adiyiah by making them a core of his team.

Goran Stevanovic (2011-12)

He was the fourth Serbian hired by the Black Stars in a space of seven years. Stevanovic helped Ghana qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. His team reached the semifinals and lost by a lone goal to Zambia the eventual winners. He was sacked after the tournament, amid issues of losing his dressing room, as he testified there were issues of black magic in the camp of the Black Stars.

Kwesi Appiah: Historic feat (2012-14)

Kwesi Appiah, who had assisted Claude Le Roy Milovan Rajevac and Stevanovic was given the mantle as Black Stars coach. His first major test was the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 and his side finished fourth. Kwesi Appiah made history, by becoming the first indigenous coach to qualify the Black Stars to the FIFA World Cup finals, but the team couldn’t progress past the group stage over issues of player boycott of training during the tournament over the delay in the payment of appearance fees.

Although, the GFA threw their weight behind him after the tournament, he was sacked over the issue of hiring a technical director for the Black Stars.

Avram Grant (2014-2017)

The Israeli reached almost made history by becoming the first foreigner to win Ghana the Africa Cup of Nations trophy, but the Black Stars lost the final of Equatorial Guinea 2015 on penalties to Ivory Coast.

Note: Assistant Coaches who took over the team for a while after their head coaches had resigned, but reverted back to their previous position after the search for coach had ended are not being considered here: Selas Tetteh, Kwesi Appiah and Maxwell Konadu.

Kwesi Appiah 2017-

Kwesi Appiah has returned as coach of the Black Stars, following an announcement of his appointment on Tuesday by the Ghana Football Association. He first managed the Black Stars from 2012 to 2014.