The captain of the Black Stars Stephen “Tornado” Appiah says he is confident the senior national football team is on the rise again.

Appiah was speaking from his Italy base after he returned to Juventus following the Black Stars 7-0 aggregate victory over Somalia in the World Cup qualifier.

The 22-year-old told Ghanaweb: “ I have observed that the spirit of the players has been rekindled following the arrival of Coach Ralph Zumdick. To be honest, I saw elated players who looked radiant and willing to give their all.”

He suggests that “once the unity and commitment from the all the players was unquestionable it needs to be harnessed for the future.”

He called on the Ghana Football Association to maintain Zumdick after his contract expires in December.

Asked if the current crop of players should be maintained for future assignments he answered: “ It is the responsibility of the coach to choose the players he wants to play in a given circumstance” but maintained that “ I believe this is his match, therefore he would take time to observe other players for invitation”

Appiah was delighted to have been nominated for the CAF African Footballer of the Year Award. He said “ I was happy when I heard that, I have been nominated for the top award in the continent. It show that my effort from Brescia to Juventus, is being recognised.”

Meanwhile the BBC has launched its website for the general public to vote for the its African Footballer of the Year award. Appiah is expected to be a key contender for the top award. The website for the voting is: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/3261193.stm

Appiah was not invited for Juventus’s league match against Modena yesterday. He arrived in Turin on Friday after Wednesday’s match against Somalia.

He has been invited to join the first team to play against Siena in the Coppa Italia match on Wednesday.