Avram Grant has the credentials to run a national team again. Eight years after he led Israel, the 59-year-old manager is close to returning from club ball — where he coached Chelsea, West Ham United and Partizan Belgrade — to take over Ghana.
The Black Stars have been without a coach since Kwesi Appiah stepped down post-World Cup, and Grant looks to be the man to take the job. They’ve gotten past the one big problem — money — but the other is trickier.
See, Grant holds an Israeli passport, which could keep him from going into several North African and Arab countries to manage games. And, obviously, managing games in Africa would be a part of the job responsibilities for Ghana’s coach.
They think they have a solution, though (outside of world peace). They just can’t tell us yet.
From the BBC: Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantekyie told BBC Sport “that is an issue” but says the two parties will deal with it. “The holder of an Israeli passport will not only be denied entry into North African countries, he will be denied into some Arab countries,” he said. "He has brought an alternative way of dealing with it. There is a satisfactory arrangement to arrest his threat. Very soon, in a matter of months, we should clear that.”
Grant dealt with a similar issue when he took over Partizan, as a friendly against an Iranian side was canceled due to his nationality. It will be interesting to see what solution the GFA has come up with to combat the issue.
