Former Ghana coach James Akwasi Appiah makes history by guiding Ghana group opponents Sudan to the African Cup of Nations for the first time since 2012.
Sudan has relatively unknown players who produced impressive performances throughout the entire AFCON qualification campaign. The country picked up eight points, including four out of a possible six from Ghana in the two fixtures last October.
Fans back home in Sudan got their hearts beating so fast when Niger, who had won any single game in the group, defeated Sudan with a resounding 4-0 win last Thursday in the penultimate round of matches in the qualifiers.
Needing just a point to finish second to an already group leader Angola, Sudan had to reorganise from that unexpected loss to Niger to settle for a goalless draw against Angola to book their place in the 24-team tournament in Morocco next year.
Akwasi Appiah, 64, an AFCON winner in 1982 as a player for Ghana and who led the Black Stars to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as a coach, has made a huge impact on the Sudanese National Men’s team since taking charge in September 2023.
Leading Sudan to qualify for the AFCON 2025 while writing history as the first team to play all games away from home due to the civil war that broke out on April 15, 2023, is an absolute shout too loud.
He has, in a similar qualifier to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, amassed ten points from four games, winning three and drawing just one to top group B. The former Khartoum coach is on a mission to lead Sudan to their first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance.
Story: Bright Jnr
