Black Stars job: What government wants vs. what GFA want

Black Stars position is vacant

The government wants Chris Hughton

GFA wants Otto Addo

The Ghana Football Association sacked the coach of the Black Stars, Milovan Rajevac after the Black Stars’ poor performance at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The decision was taken by the GFA after the Sports Ministry directed the FA to reconstitute the Management Committee and review the performance technical team of the Ghana Black Stars.

After a meeting on Friday, January 21, between the Ministry and the FA, the Stars’ performance at the AFCON 2021 was reviewed and preparations for the 2022 World Cup playoffs were discussed.

But in a press statement copied to media houses after the meeting the Ministry “made it clear to the GFA that the people of Ghana have lost confidence in the capacity of the current technical team of the Black Stars to deliver success.”

The GFA was therefore directed to “review the work and capacity of the current Black Stars’ technical team, led by the head coach, Milovan Rajevac.”

But GhanaWeb sources indicated the GFA at the meeting was hesitant about axing the Serbian particularly because of the severance fee the country is liable to pay – an estimated minimum of $270,000 which could rise to $370,000 if a sign-on fee is included.

The coach was eventually sacked but who takes over as the next Black Stars coach?

Many football managers have expressed interest in the vacant coaching position of the Black Stars.

One of these managers is former Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton, who is reported to be emerging as a leading candidate to take over the Black Star’s coaching job.

Another name is Otto Addo, an assistant coach for Dortmund, who is also a Ghanaian

It appears the government of Ghana is spearheading the apparent appointment of the English-born Irish coach while the GFA wants a Ghanaian to succeed the Serbian.

Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Majority Leader and MP for Suame, has indicated that the former Brighton coach knows how to build a team with average materials.

“Chris Hughton is a coach who knows how to build with average materials and that’s Ghana’s situation now. Our materials are not good so we need Chris to weld. Otto Addo is just a second coach for Dortmund,” he told Accra-based Angel FM.

Meanwhile, it is reported that the Ghana Football Association has sent a three-man team to Germany to convince Otto Addo to take up the vacant Black Stars job.

Will the GFA give the vacant position to Otto Addo or Chris Hughton?