Former Ghana international, Stephen Appiah, has urged Otto Addo to stamp his authority on the Black Stars team following his return as head coach.

Addo was named as the gaffer on a full-time basis following the dismissal of Chris Hughton after a poor showing at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d'Ivoire.

The former Borussia Dortmund coach has already overseen two games since his return, losing to Nigeria before drawing with Uganda during the March international break.

Up next for Addo is the doubleheader against Mali and Central African Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with the former Black Stars playing naming his 26-man squad for the game on Wednesday, May 29.

The squad announcement saw the omission of some big names including Andre Ayew and Abdul Baba Rahman from the list.

Appiah urged the boss to be bold in his decision though that may be worrying for some players.

“Players would behave as if they don’t care but they care. In our days, players would be proving stubborn but when squad announcement time came, players were constantly on the phone trying to check if they were in," he told 3Sports.

"He [Otto Addo] should let the players know that he is the boss. This is the situation where you have to put your foot down. I was with him in 2006 and he knows how important the World Cup is to Ghanaians."

Ghana will face Mali in Bamako on June 6 before the clash against CAR on June 10 at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.