Former head coach of the Black Stars, James Kwesi Appiah, has revealed he received threats from some officials of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) after his decision to invite Mohammed Kudus to the national team.
Kudus made his debut for Ghana during an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa in November 2019, with the youngster going on to score on his first appearance.
However, Appiah, who gave the then 19-year-old his maiden appearance, says he could have lost his job had Ghana failed to beat Bafana Bafana in that game.
“Not only [Mohammed] Kudus but some other young players. There were people who felt the young players didn’t deserve the Black Stars call-up,” he said in an interview with Dan Kweku Yeboah TV.
But for me, I had watched them and I believed them. I always told my players don’t prove to me, prove to Ghanaians. If you do well that’s for your own good.
“My job was on the line because I was warned that if I lost the match I will be sacked. I didn’t mind because I knew I was doing what was good for the country.”
Appiah’s side recorded a 2-0 win over South Africa in that fixture with Kudus going on to become a regular in the national team.
