Stories and facts
James Kwesi Appiah, born on June 30, 1960, in Kumasi, Ghana, is a renowned football coach and former player known for his role as a left-back. Appiah currently serves as the head coach of the Sudan national football team. He received his secondary education at Opoku Ware School.
Appiah's club career began with Prestea Mine Stars between 1982 and 1983. He then joined Asante Kotoko, where he played from 1983 to 1993.
His international career with the Ghana national team spanned a decade from 1982 to 1992, during which he participated in two FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and captained the team. He was part of the squad that won the 1982 African Cup of Nations.
Transitioning into coaching, Appiah served as an assistant coach for Asante Kotoko between 1992 and 1995, eventually becoming the head coach from 1995 to 1996.
He also worked under Fred Osam-Duodu for the Ghana national team from 2000 to 2001. Appiah enhanced his coaching skills with technical training from English clubs Manchester City and Liverpool.
From 2007 to 2012, Appiah was Ghana's assistant coach, working under Claude Le Roy and Milovan Rajevac. He led Ghana's U23 team to victory in the 2011 All-Africa Games. Appiah was appointed head coach of the Ghana national team in April 2012 and led the team to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, becoming the first black African coach to achieve this feat.
Despite Ghana's early exit from the World Cup, Appiah defended his team and was granted a new two-year contract in May 2014. However, he left his position by mutual consent in September 2014.
In December 2014, Appiah took on the managerial role at Sudanese club Al Khartoum, guiding them to a fourth-place finish and qualification for the Confederation Cup in his first season. Under his leadership, the club achieved a record 65 points in the following season, although they did not qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup.
Appiah was reappointed as the coach of the Ghana national team in April 2017, replacing Avram Grant, but was sacked in January 2020. In July 2021, he became the head coach of Kenpong Football Academy. By January 2023,
Appiah was linked with the manager's job at Tanzanian club Simba SC and also applied to be Ghana's national team manager. In September 2023, Appiah took on a dual role as head coach of the Sudan national football team and Technical Director of Asante Kotoko.
Throughout his career, Appiah has earned several honors. As a player with Asante Kotoko, he won multiple Ghana Premier League titles, Ghanaian FA Cups, and the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1983. With the Ghana national team, he won the African Cup of Nations in 1982.
As a coach, he led the Ghana U23 team to a gold medal at the 2011 All-Africa Games. Individually, Appiah has been recognized with the Millennium Excellence Awards in the Sports Category in 2021, SWAG Sports Personality of the Year in 2014, and SWAG Coach of the Year in 2012.
Explore the life of James Kwesi Appiah below.
