Did you know that the Black Stars have been managed by eight different coaches in the last 15 years?
The latest to fall victim to this tall list of coaching casualties is Charles Kwabla (CK) Akonnor, who was relieved of his duty as head coach on Monday.
The 47-year-old and his two assistants, David Duncan and Patrick Greveraars, were all fired after Ghana’s poor start to the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
In a statement, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) said a three-member committee made up of its Vice President Mark Addo, Upper East Regional Football Association Chairman, Alhaji Salifu Zida and Dr. Randy Abbey has been tasked with finding a new coach for the Black Stars.
Pulse Sports has chronicled all the men who have managed the Black Stars since Ghana’s first World Cup qualification in 2006.
Ratomir Dujkovic (Serbia) – 2004 to 2006
Ratomir Dujkovic arrived in Ghana in 2004 to replace Sam Arday, who was then the acting head coach of the Black Stars.
The Serbian tactician came at a time when Ghana had failed to qualify for the 2004 AFCON, but he quickly transformed the fortunes of the team.
The 75-year-old led the Black Stars to qualify for the AFCON and World Cup in 2006, with the team impressively reaching the round of 16 of the latter competition.
Claude Le Roy (France) – 2006 to 2008
Following the departure of Ratomir Dujkovic, Claude Le Roy assumed the reins of the Black Stars top job.
The Frenchman led the Black Stars to a third-place finish at the 2008 AFCON, which was hosted in Ghana, but left after the tournament.
Sellas Tetteh (Ghana) – 2008 (Interim)
Claude Le Roy’s abrupt departure left a void, prompting the GFA to appoint his assistant Sellas Tetteh as a stop-gap coach.
The former Liberty Professionals and Black Satellites boss, however, handled just a few games before a substantive coach was appointed to take over.
Milovan Rajevac (Serbia) – 2008 to 2010
Milovan Rajevac is widely regarded as the best man to have coached Ghana in the last three decades. This is due to the elevation that he brought to the team in his two years in charge.
Arriving after the 2008 AFCON, the Serbian qualified Ghana to the 2010 AFCON and World Cup. He guided the team to the final of the latter and a record-equaling quarter-final berth at the World Cup.
Goran Stevanovic (Serbia) – 2011 to 2012
Goran Stevanovic had the shortest stint with the Black Stars following his appointment in 2011. The Serbian was tasked with winning the 2012 AFCON.
However, after finishing fourth at the tournament, he was immediately fired by the GFA.
Kwesi Appiah (Ghana) – 2012 to 2014
Kwesi Appiah became the first Ghanaian substantive coach of the Black Stars in over a decade when he was hired in 2012.
The former Asante Kotoko manager guided the team to the World Cup qualification in 2014, but a group stage exit at the tournament led to his dismissal.
Avram Grant (Israel) – 2014 to 2017
Avram Grant is undoubtedly the biggest name that has managed the Black Stars since Independence.
The former Chelsea and Portsmouth manager arrived in late 2014 and guided the team to the final of AFCON 2015, where they lost on penalties to the Ivory Coast.
However, his two-year contract was not renewed by the FA after he failed to win the AFCON in 2017, as the Black Stars finished fourth.
Kwesi Appiah (Ghana) 2017 to 2020
Kwesi Appiah returned for his second stint with the Black Stars in 2017. He led the team to the 2019 AFCON, where they exited at the round of 16 stage.
The 61-year-old was not immediately sacked after the tournament but his contract wasn’t renewed when it ended in December 2019.
CK Akonnor (Ghana) – 2020 to 2021
Akonnor was appointed as Ghana coach in January 2019 as a replacement to Kwesi Appiah, who he had served as an assistant to.
The former Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko manager, however, failed to impress during his time in charge of the Black Stars.
In 10 matches, he had a win rate of just 40%, having won four, lost four and draw two. The final nail on his coffin was Ghana’s dull 1-0 defeat to South Africa in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
