Ghanaian football icon James Kwasi Appiah has lived through both the joy and heartbreak of African football. But perhaps none of his chapters has been as moving as this current one in Sudan. Against the backdrop of a devastating civil war, Appiah led the Falcons of Jediane on an extraordinary run at CHAN Pamoja 2024, only for their fairytale to be halted by a narrow 1–0 defeat to Madagascar in Tuesday’s semi-final.
In Dar es Salaam, Sudan fought with everything they had. The game was headed for penalties until the 116th minute, when substitute Toky Rakotondraibe broke Sudanese hearts with a well-taken finish. It was cruel, given Sudan’s brave performance and missed chances, but it underlined the fine margins of tournament football.
For Appiah, 64, this was more than just football. Since Sudan’s civil war erupted in April 2023, the domestic league has collapsed, players have been scattered across Africa, and millions displaced. Yet with just three training sessions before the tournament, he built a team that stunned Algeria on penalties and carried an entire nation’s hopes into the last four.
His words summed it up best: “Once you are in a tournament, you must aim for the trophy. I don’t believe in participating just to add numbers.” That mindset turned a war-torn squad into a continental story of resilience.
Sudanese football, usually defined by fierce rivalries between Al Hilal and Al Merrikh, found unity under Appiah’s leadership. Even when they shocked his homeland Ghana to reach the 2025 AFCON finals, he put professionalism first: “As a Ghanaian, I was sad. But my responsibility is Sudan.”
For his players, football became therapy. Many have lost relatives to the conflict, others are cut off from families in refugee camps. Yet, as Appiah reminds them, “You are the ones who can bring smiles to your people.”
This resilience is rooted in Appiah’s history. From winning AFCON as a player in 1982 to coaching Ghana at the 2014 World Cup, he has always stood at the intersection of triumph and struggle. In Sudan, he has etched another unforgettable legacy, keeping the nation alive in both AFCON and World Cup qualifiers.
While Madagascar celebrated a historic CHAN final berth, Sudan can take pride in something more enduring. For a nation living through gunfire and displacement, Appiah’s Falcons gave hope—if only for a while. As he put it with quiet strength: “When we play, sometimes the guns go silent for a week or two. That is what this team has given our people.”
Sudan may have missed the final, but they’ve won something far greater: the chance to dream again in the middle of despair.
