Tom Saintfiet
MALI NATIONAL team coach Tom Saintfiet has revealed that he was very close to landing the Black Stars managerial job in 2024 before the Ghana Football Association (GFA) decided to appoint another coach.
According to him, he held extensive discussions with the GFA for four hours about the vacant job, following the dismissal of Chris Hughton under whom the Black Stars failed to win a single match at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ivory Coast.
“It’s true that at that moment, after AFCON, around AFCON, there were talks… but I had a feeling I was close to the Black Stars job,” Saintfiet noted.
“I spoke about four hours, I think in total, with the Ghana Federation, with Kurt [Okraku] and Mark [Addo, the President and Vice President of GFA]… but in the end they decided to go for another coach.”
The GFA decided to rehire Otto Addo for a second stint after his abysmal performance saw him leave the job after the expiration of his six-month contract.
Saintfiet was appointed as Mali Head Coach in 2024 after leading Gambia to its first-ever quarter-final round in the 2021 AFCON.
The Belgian’s team is currently unbeaten in nine competitive games, winning six and drawing three.
Meanwhile, Saintfiet says it is shocking that the Black Stars failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON which will be played in Morocco later this year, while noting that Mali’s World Cup qualifying match against Ghana would be a tough game.
“It will be a very tough task. I have huge respect for the Ghanaian team. I believe really that they have everything and it’s shocking that they won’t play AFCON,” he said.
He is however optimistic that the Black Stars will overcome recent setbacks to win the AFCON soon.
“A country like Ghana must become African champion in the near future with all this quality, Saintfiet added.