A seasoned football administrator and former Black Stars management committee member, Ernest Thompson, has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to relieve Otto Addo of his duties as head coach of the Black Stars following Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Speaking on JoySports Link on Joy FM on Saturday, November 23, Thompson was forthright in his critique of both the technical team and the players, describing the current state of the Black Stars as unacceptable.
“For me, the problem is two-fold. We have a bad technical team. They are not up to the task if they are to lead us in the next five years because Ghanaians don’t have the patience to wait for a coach who is young and still learning,” he stated.
Otto Addo, who returned to lead the team in May 2024, failed to guide Ghana to victory in any of their AFCON 2025 qualifying matches, finishing winless in a group that included Sudan, Niger, and Angola.
“Otto Addo has done his best. At times, you promote people to their level of competence, and beyond that, they cannot do much. He’s done his best, and I think at this stage, he and his technical team should go,” Thompson said emphatically.
Thompson also expressed concerns about the lack of unity within the Black Stars, describing the team as a collection of individuals rather than a cohesive unit.
“That team you’re calling the Black Stars is not a team; it is a group of individuals who are very conflictual. There’s so much conflict in that team. Kurt [Okraku] and the rest should take responsibility for keeping things to themselves,” he noted.
He further highlighted the extent of division among the players, alleging that spiritualism and internal conflicts are undermining the team’s performance.
“There’s spiritualism in that team; there’s conflict in that team. They only come and stand on the pitch as if they are together. It’s not a football team we have there; it’s a group of individuals who are highly conflicted,” he said.
Thompson pointed to recent incidents of players refusing to honour call-ups, suggesting that disagreements over team dynamics, including captaincy issues, are at play.
“Ask yourself, especially if you’re experienced in football administration: why would eight players tell you they are not available simply because the captaincy has been given back to Jordan [Ayew]? There’s a problem there. Don’t come and tell me that they are not available because they are injured. No! It’s because they are divided,” he argued.
The GFA is set to decide Otto Addo’s future at its Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, November 27.
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