Otto Addo set to return as Black Stars coach despite failing to meet GFA criteria
This came after Chris Hughton was fired as head coach of the Black Stars due to their underwhelming performances at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Hughton was removed from his position as head coach following the team’s elimination from the group stage in Ivory Coast.
The selection criteria for the next head coach placed a strong focus on the necessity of taking a methodical and comprehensive approach to identify a qualified applicant. Within three weeks, a five-person committee chaired by GFA Vice President Mark Addo was tasked with assessing and recommending a qualified candidate to the Executive Council for approval.
While the deadline has passed, the GFA Executive Committee will meet on Wednesday to make a final decision on the next Black Stars coach. Multiple reports suggest that the new coach will be Otto Addo.
The Germany-born former Ghana international took the Black Stars to the 2022 World Cup before quitting to focus on his role at Borussia Dortmund. However, all indications point to him returning.
The reaction to the potential return of Addo has been largely lukewarm amongst fans, and sports analyst Phillip Sitso Atsrim says there is a good reason why. According to the sports analyst, Otto Addo falls short of the criteria the GFA demanded.
Otto Addo has been coaching since 2010, and his only major title to date is the German Cup, which he won as an assistant coach with Borussia Dortmund in the 2021 final against RB Leipzig.
“It surprises me. That’s largely because he doesn’t meet the criteria that the FA put out there. And there’s no way in a million years any Ghanaian should overlook their criteria because the FA then put it out there to tell us the expectations of what the next coach should look like. And when we look at the criteria they put out there, it’s a very elite coach. Otto Addo doesn’t fit the bill really,” he said.
However, Sisto believes that, given enough time, Otto Addo can perform miracles and help get the team back to its best.
“If Oto comes to take the Black Stars job and then the target is that he grows with the team, it’s not an immediate success if he’s going to make some progress with the team, if it’s not the biggest progress in winning the AfCON, but we can see progress with the team and it’s going to take some years to work,” he further stated.
Addo could lead Ghana into the March international break with friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda in Morocco.
source: 3news.com