The first ambition of Ghanaian Kwesi Appiah and Nigerian Stephen Keshi at the World Cup is to reach the second round and end decades of failure by African coaches.
Since 1978, when Tunisian Abdelmajid Chetali became the first African coach to lead his country at a World Cup, all 11 have failed to secure a place in the knockout stages.
Despite this grim record, Appiah and Keshi are strong backers of African coaches, although three Europeans achieved the best results for a continent that has never gone beyond the quarter-finals.
Russian Valery Nepomniachi guided Cameroon to the last eight in 1990 and Frenchman Bruno Metsu and Serb Milovan Rajevac equalled the feat with Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) respectively.
“The white guys are coming to Africa just for the money — they are not doing anything we cannot do,” Keshi said in an interview.
“When an African is appointed, he must win every friendly, the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup.
“But whites get a year to adapt, to know the country and the players. That is unprofessional.”
Appiah is aiming much higher than the second round, telling reporters his ‘Black Stars’ are powerful enough to lift the trophy.
“To become world champions you need strength in depth,” said the reserved 53-year-old former national team full-back.
“Ghana boasts a strong squad and I believe we can go very far — even become world champions.
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