Former Black Stars assistant coach George Boateng has criticized the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for poor decision-making following the team’s disappointing campaign at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Boateng, who served as an assistant coach under Otto Addo after the 2022 World Cup, remained part of the technical team until Ghana’s underwhelming AFCON performance in Ivory Coast. In response to the team’s failure, the GFA dissolved the entire technical staff.

Although Otto Addo was later reappointed as head coach, he failed to secure qualification for the 2025 AFCON, marking the first time in 20 years that Ghana missed the tournament.

Speaking on SuperSport’s Soccer Africa, Boateng stressed the importance of continuity in team management.

“I am a very strong believer in continuity. I said it straight after the tournament [2023 AFCON] and also in the media that, as disappointing as it is, the federation has to analyze it.

“You have to go in-depth to see where the mistakes were in terms of management, players, and staff, and then you replace those who were not competent enough—whether it be the playing body, staff member, or technical team,” he said.

He also questioned whether the GFA had taken the necessary steps to rebuild after the AFCON failure.

“You then rebuild on that, but I am not too sure if that has been done after the Africa Cup of Nations because you can see that after I left, we have now had a bigger slide. At least when I was there, we qualified and were unlucky not to get out of the group stage,” he added.

Meanwhile, Boateng confirmed his readiness to take on a head coaching role, amid reports linking him to the vacant managerial position at Blackburn Rovers.

With AFCON hopes dashed, the Black Stars will regroup for the Matchday Five and Six fixtures of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar.