Key Takeaways
- Kwesi Appiah is on the path of establishing Sudan as a force to be reckoned with in African football.
- The Ghanaian coach spoke to RG about the misinterpretation of his comments during a recent press conference at the ongoing African Nations Championship this week.
- Sudan beat Nigeria 4-0, and he spoke about the Super Eagles' squad after the match, with media taking his remarks out of context.
Kwesi Appiah while coaching Ghana (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah has explained that he was misquoted by the press after commenting on Nigeria’s performance at the 2025 African Nations Championship.
Appiah led his team to beat the Super Eagles 4-0 in Zanzibar to remain at the summit of the group table with an unbeaten record of four points after two games.
Beyond the historic win against the West Africans, Appiah’s postgame comments continue to generate reactions after he was misquoted as calling for a new Nigeria coach.
Following Sudan’s training session for their final group fixture against Senegal on Tuesday, Appiah told RG:
“You know, that's the problem I have with the media. When you ask a question, and a follow-up question, you should say the whole thing. You don't just pick some part of it and then use it, that is not being fair to us, the coaches.
The question was how do I see the Nigerian team and I said, oh, Nigeria has got a very good team. The defence is good, and the midfield is fantastic but normally when they get up front, that is where they find it difficult to score.
So they asked me, then how do they solve that problem and I said, automatically, if your defence is good, your midfield is good, then it is a matter of the coach trying to see how best you can make sure they are able to finish the attack.
It is the coach’s job and it's not a supporter or a bannerman who is going to do that.”
Appiah Fumes at Controversy Generated by Media
The former Ghana national team coach believes in mutual respect for his colleagues in the game, and he debunked claims about the quality of Eric Chelle’s work.
Chelle was a former Mali international defender before coaching the country for two years between 2022 and 2024, an experience which paved the way for his job with Nigeria.
Appiah continued: “Most of the time, that's why I don't like doing interviews. And, once you do it, people try to create some controversies.
But how can I tell my colleague coach that he is not good. On what basis will I stand and say that the coach is not good when I don't actually know how he picks his players, the kind of formation that he plays. You can't just jump into one conclusion. You don't know what goes into the tactics and backroom duties.”
Appiah’s immediate focus remains on securing CHAN glory with Sudan after the Falcons of Jediane finished third in their last two appearances in the African competition.
