Be bold, don’t allow any interference as a coach – Kwesi Appiah advises

Sudan national team head coach Kwesi Appiah has advised coaches not to accept any interference from management and other football association officials regarding their role in the dugout.

Appiah believes that external people deciding or dictating the affairs of the playing body affect the team’s performance. Any final decision about the team, be it player selection or tactics, he added, must always come from the coach.

Speaking on Asempa FM, the former Black Stars coach urged coaches to be steadfast and let their ideologies guide their teams.

If you are a coach and you are being dictated to, you will not succeed. Even if you are informed about a player, the final decision must always rest with you.

If you are a coach, you must be bold and make the right call-ups. Accepting interference will only lead to blame and a lack of respect.

Appiah has had a relatively successful spell at the helms of the Sudan national team, qualifying the Falcons of Jediane to the 2025 AFCON in Morocco and leading their 2026 World Cup qualification group.

This success, he partly attributes to the freedom and confidence the North African state’s football association has bestowed on him.

He emphasised that there’s no interference in his work from any official. They all support and encourage his team to perform.

In Sudan, there is nothing like interference. They all love football, and even when we lose, they support and encourage us. But when it comes to decisions about players, they have no interest and will never interfere.

Appiah argued coaches must be given full trust and control over teams to bring out their best.

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