Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant revealed that Ghanaians had lost faith in the Black Stars, following their disappointing performance at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Grant, who took over as head coach in late 2014 after Kwesi Appiah was fired, acknowledged the country’s scepticism due to the off-field issues that marred the World Cup campaign, including the expulsion of Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng for indiscipline.
“When I came, nobody gave them a chance after the World Cup; the country was against them, which I can understand because of what happened at the World Cup,” said Grant, reflecting on his arrival.
However, he quickly implemented a plan to rebuild the team and restore faith in the Black Stars. “I said, ‘Let’s build another Ghana now,’ and it was amazing.”
Despite being appointed during a difficult time, Grant had a significant impact in a short period of time.
He led Ghana to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final, where they were defeated by Ivory Coast in a marathon penalty shootout. This journey to the final is one of Grant’s favourite memories.
“I will never forget that we were in a tough group with Algeria, Senegal, and South Africa. We lost the first game, but we showed a lot of mentality. We made it to the finals, and there was no doubt that we were better than Ivory Coast. Yaya Toure told me this when I met him,” the coach recalled.
Grant parted ways with Ghana in 2017 and now manages Zambia. He is in Ghana for the second edition of the All Stars Festival.
