Ghana expect to have a deal in place for Avram Grant to be their new national coach after their final 2015 Nations Cup qualifier on Wednesday. Former Chelsea boss Grant, 59, has been discussing his financial package with the Ghana Football Association (GFA). There had been concerns his Israeli nationality could pose access problems to some North African countries. GFA president Kwesi Nyantekyie told BBC Sport “that is an issue” but says the two parties will deal with it. “The holder of an Israeli passport will not only be denied entry into North African countries, he will be denied into some Arab countries,” he said. “He has brought an alternative way of dealing with it. There is a satisfactory arrangement to arrest his threat. Very soon, in a matter of months, we should clear that.” Nyantekyie confirmed Grant has met with the GFA in Accra and said it is “almost certain” the two parties will reach a deal. “By the time we finish with our game against Togo, we should have an agreement in place,” he said. Grant will be given a two-year contract, and Nyantekyie says the GFA is confident he has the profile to succeed in the role. “He is a motivator. He has the capacity and skill to manage egos and top players and these are some of the challenges that the Black Stars team is going through. “He has the strength, he has a strong mentality. He feels in Africa most of the players lack the passion or the mentality even though they have the skill. We hope he will be able to instil these qualities so that we will win trophies.” Grant took Chelsea to the final of the 2008 European Champions League, in which they were beaten by Manchester United, and also had a four-year spell in charge of Israel’s national side. The Black Stars have been without a permanent coach since Kwesi Appiah left after the opening two 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with Maxwell Konadu leading the team on a temporary basis. Ghana midfielder Andre Dede Ayew said: “If Avram Grant comes to Ghana, we will support him. He is a good coach, he has coached big clubs and hopefully he will help Ghana. “What is most important is that we win trophies – and anybody that is going to bring trophies, I will be with the person whether he is big, small or whatever. “If he is coming to Ghana, I know he will feel the Ghanaian pressure, he will know that Ghana is a country which needs to win because we have not won a trophy in a long while.” Ghana missed an opportunity to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations after losing 1-0 to Uganda in Group E in Kampala on Saturday. The group will be decided after the final round of matches on Wednesday. -BBC
