CK Akonnor
Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) Vice President, George Kwasi Afriyie, has cited interference in player selection as the reason why CK Akonnor failed as Black Stars head coach.
While Akonnor was in charge as head coach of the Stars, it emerged that GFA officials suggested that the days when coaches were given free hands to work were over.
He said on Happy FM, “You must always bear in mind that your next appointment fits in your vision.”
To him, the former Dreams FC and Eleven Wise coach was not the perfect replacement for Kwasi Appiah.
But, he stated that given the circumstances, he (CK Akonnor) was much better than his Serbian successor, Milovan Rajevac, who failed woefully in the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Cameroon (AFCON) and was sacked.
He added “I entreated everyone during my interviews to support CK, although I think CK wasn’t ready yet for the job. I also advised that he should be left alone to do his job, the only condition that would have guaranteed him success. Along the line, the President (Kurt Okraku) granted an interview insinuating that, gone were the days, when only coaches were involved in the selection of the national team. This proves that CK Akonnor struggled with officials during call-ups.
“I don’t agree with people who said CK wasn’t doing well so he should be sacked. We need to consider the matches he played and the Covid implications which limited his asses to certain players he wanted. That against the crop of players Milo had at his disposal. Using that basis to sack CK was unfair to him. I personally think we pressed the panic button too early,” he said.
The GFA is on the verge of hiring a new coach for the Black Stars with the 2022 FIFA World Cup play off against Nigeria scheduled for March.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that there are over hundred applications on the GFA desk for the vacant Stars coaching job.
By Kofi Owusu Aduonum