Black Stars coach, Kwasi Appiah, may just have finalised his technical bench for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil following the surprise revelation last week of talks to get his former boss, Milovan Rajevac, to play an active role in Ghana’s preparations for the tournament.
As were the cases in Ghana’s two previous World Cup campaigns in 2006 and four years ago, when the Ghana Football Association (GFA) beefed up the team’s technical bench by appointing auxiliary technical staff support the Stars head coach. This time Appiah, with the FA’s backing has handpicked Serbian Rajevac in a strategic advisory role for Brazil 2014 where Ghana has been pitted against USA and European giants Germany and Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal in Group G.
It is an open secret that there have been moves by the FA, since Ghana’s qualification for Brazil four months ago, to beef up Ghana’s technical bench with a superior technical advisor. Initially, German tactician, Klaus Toppmöller, made the headlines as a possible technical director for the team, but the FA vehemently denied any links with the one-time Hamburg SV and Bayer Leverkusen coach.
Later, it emerged that Coach Appiah had engaged the youth team coach of Hamburg, Otto Addo, on the possibility of handing the ex-Black Stars midfielder a World Cup role by tapping into his great knowledge of German football.
Coach Appiah has since kept the identities of his auxiliary staff close to his chest with the notable exception of Rajevac, who met his former assistant ahead of Ghana’s 1-0 loss to Montenegro last Wednesday.
During the qualifiers, Appiah maintained his trusted lieutenants of assistant coach Maxwell Konadu, goalkeepers trainer Nasamu Yakubu, Sabahn Quaye (welfare officer) and the medical team headed by Dr Adam Baba.
Close sources indicated to the Graphic Sports last week that Rajevac, who led Ghana to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, was expected to play a more active role in the team’s preparation for the World Cup in his capacity as an advisor.
“Appiah has a lot of respect for coach Milo who was his boss and expectedly he would be more comfortable working with him again.
Meanwhile, GFA boss, Kwesi Nyantakyi, said he was in support of a possible return of Rajevac’s for a World Cup role.
“We all know the pedigree of Rajevac in football and, therefore, I will support the decision to include him in Ghana’s back room staff for the World Cup,” Mr Nyantakyi told Kumasi-based Kessben FM.
“I’m in support of any decision from the coach to improve his technical team once the person coming in is competent enough and ready to work for our success at the World Cup”, he added.
Graphic Sports
