When the whistle goes for Ghana’s crucial tie against Lesotho in a Nations Cup qualifier on June 1, and against Zambia in a World qualifier on June 9, the new look Black Stars will have far more than just the six points to fight for. Their future after football is on the line; the destiny of Akwasi Appiah as a local coach is in their hands and more importantly they will underline how they want Ghanaians to treat them when they hang their boots. Its sounds a bit farfetched, maybe complicated. I know that. But I hope for God’s sake that each one of the 24 man squad is made to read this piece before entering the Baba Yara Stadium and subsequently the stadium in Lusaka. If they do, my work will be done. Ghana football has gone full circle. From the early 60s to the early 80s were the glory days of local coaches. We won four Nations Cup trophies but never once qualified for the World Cup during that period. From the early 80s to 2012 came the phenomenon of foreign coaches hired from different countries and well paid. Some achieved relative success; others were a sorry drain on our coffers. We never once won any trophy but twice and in succession qualified for the World Cup with the help of the foreign coaches. During this same period some local coaches had a bitter bite at the cherry. Not only because they achieved nothing but sadly because all Ghanaians-administrators, footballers, journalists, supporters, politicians and sometimes even the local coaches themselves- in a united collective effort made sure that our local coaches failed and when they did, we mocked, hit our chests in a boisterous I told you so fashion and jumped on the next available plane to hire substandard foreign coaches who are no more superior than our local coaches. For 30 years, we are yet to win our first Nations Cup trophy and even with two World Cup appearances we have not told our story as a nation with a rich football history- one in which our local coaches will take their pride of place for a job well done. The time has come. For the first time, in a long while, a local coach, Akwasi Appiah has been treated with dignity. He has been signed, not as a care taker coach, but a substantive coach with a contract; a reasonable signing on fee with a clear mandate and a free hand to handle the Black Stars. That for me is crucial and historic. Even more crucially fascinating is the incredible wave of support Appiah has received thus far from journalists, administrators, supporters. It is time for the players to respond. Now is the time for these players to show that a local coach is capable; it is time for them to show that they will be capable to handle the Black Stars when they retire. It all depends on what they do with and for Akwasi Appiah.