Mali head coach Tom Saintfiet has revealed that his interest in leading Ghana’s Black Stars was driven purely by a passion to deliver success and not by financial motivations.

The Belgian tactician, who applied for the Ghana job earlier this year, confirmed that he held a four-hour discussion with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) before Otto Addo was eventually appointed head coach in March 2024

“I wanted to coach the Black Stars, not for money, but to help Ghana achieve success in international competitions,” Saintfiet told Adom TV.

Saintfiet, who earned widespread acclaim for guiding The Gambia to back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, said he harbours no bitterness at missing out. Instead, he praised Addo’s leadership and even suggested that he would welcome the opportunity to collaborate in the future.

“I would be glad to work with Otto Addo in Black Stars’ coaching,” he added.

The 51-year-old recently faced Addo in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where Ghana secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Mali in Accra. The result left the Eagles with work to do in their remaining fixtures to keep their qualification hopes alive.