Sports News of Wednesday, 22 January 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

President Akufo-Addo meets coach Chris Hughton at UK-Africa Summit

Chris Hughton and Nana Akufo-Addo Chris Hughton and Nana Akufo-Addo

President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo has met former Brighton & Hove Albion coach Chris Hughton at the ongoing UK-Africa Investment Summit in London.

It remains unclear what kind of conversation transpired between the coach and Ghana’s Head of State but what is clear is that Chris Hughton's name came up for consideration when the GFA and Sports Ministry decided not to extend the contract of Black Stars coach Kwasi Appiah following the expiration of his contract on December 31, 2019.

But it appeared the FA and government decided to go for a full-blooded local coach and thus settled on former Ghana Captain CK Akonnor.

Hughton has been among the many big personalities with Ghanaian descent oversees who have been trying to have a connection with their motherland and his meeting with the President in the UK confirms his desire to re-connect with Ghana.

A former player, Hughton qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland as the son of an Irish mother and a Ghanaian father, becoming the first mixed-race player to represent the country,Hughton spent most of his playing career with Tottenham Hotspur as a left-back, leaving in 1990 after 13 years.

After relatively brief spells with West Ham United and Brentford, Hughton retired from playing in 1993 at age 34.

He has managed Newcastle United, Birmingham City, Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion between the period of 2008 to 2019 before parting ways with Brighton & Hove Albion.