Mali boss Tom Saintfiet has opened up on his long-standing admiration for Ghana’s Black Stars, stressing that his motivation to coach them was never about chasing a paycheck.
The Belgian tactician disclosed that he was among the candidates who threw their names in the hat when the Ghana Football Association (GFA) was hunting for a new head coach in early 2024. He even sat down for what he described as an intense four-hour conversation with the GFA before Otto Addo eventually got the nod.
“I wanted to coach Black Stars, not for money, but to help Ghana achieve success in international competitions,” Saintfiet told Adom TV.
Saintfiet, who built his reputation by leading The Gambia to back-to-back AFCON appearances, insists there’s no bitterness about being overlooked. On the contrary, he applauded the work Otto Addo is doing with Ghana and even teased the possibility of joining forces someday.
“I would be glad to work with Otto Addo in Black Stars’ coaching,” he added.
The irony, of course, is that Saintfiet recently found himself standing across the touchline from Addo when Ghana edged Mali 1-0 in Accra during the World Cup qualifiers. That narrow defeat left Mali scrambling to keep their Qatar 2026 hopes alive while Saintfiet’s admiration for Ghana only deepened.
