Former Ghanaian goalkeeper Abdul-Fatawu Dauda has agreed to a life-changing deal with the Sudanese national team as their goalkeeper’s trainer, according to Ghanasoccernet.com.
Dauda currently holds coaching positions at the renowned Right to Dream Academy and with the Ghana national under-20 team, where he has excelled in a short time, garnering attention from some of the sport’s top minds.
Coincidentally, Dauda served as Ghana’s first-choice goalkeeper when the new Sudanese coach, James Kwasi Appiah, was the head coach of the Black Stars. Both have maintained contact as Dauda transitioned to coaching after retiring from professional play two seasons ago.
Hailing from Madina, one of Accra’s poorest suburbs, the now 38-year-old goalkeeper began his career with Okwahu United before moving on to Ashanti Gold S.C. He later made a significant impact with South African giants Orlando Pirates during the peak of his career.
By the summer of 2014, Dauda had become one of the most well-known Ghanaian goalkeepers on both the domestic and international fronts. He became the second most-capped Ghanaian goalkeeper in World Cup history, a record that was only recently surpassed by Lawrence Ati-Zigi. The legendary Richard Kingson remains the goalkeeper with the most appearances for Ghana at the highest level of international football.
Throughout his inspiring career, Dauda consistently demonstrated his ability to overcome adversity, whether on the World Cup stage or in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). When his playing days came to a close, he quickly seized the opportunity to transition into coaching, capping off his career with 26 appearances for his country and over 223 club-level matches.
Sources close to the Sudanese Football Association reveal that they have carefully assessed Dauda’s qualifications and believe he is the right person to assist Coach Appiah. They are prepared to offer him a substantial annual salary of $770,000, making him one of the highest-earning Ghanaian coaches globally, second only to Appiah, who reportedly earns $1.5 million. No other Ghanaian coach, whether domestically or abroad, comes close to earning these figures.
Sudan is expected to be based in Saudi Arabia, where they are likely to play their matches, possibly in Egypt, as they pursue qualification for the upcoming AFCON and World Cup tournaments.
