Former Black Stars striker Augustine Arhinful says he has chosen not to pursue coaching as a full-time career because of the way football administrators in Ghana treat coaches.
According to him, coaches are often denied the freedom to make technical decisions but are later blamed when results do not go as expected.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Arhinful said he prefers to stay away from coaching because of the challenges coaches face within the football system.
“The reason why I don’t take coaching seriously on a day-to-day basis like other people are doing is because I don’t like the way football administrators in Ghana treat coaches,” he said.
“So I prefer to sit in my corner, eat my gari and fish, and be okay rather than chase after fried rice that I will struggle for,” he added.
Mr. Arhinful explained that coaches are sometimes not allowed to work independently, yet they are held responsible for failures.
“They won’t allow you to work, but if things don’t go well, they will come and blame you. It is normal, and it is not a secret, but people don’t want to accept it,” he stated.
He cited instances where club owners and administrators interfere in team selection, a situation he believes affects the work of coaches.
“For instance, how can you coach a team for just a week and then, at the end of the day, a chairman or club owner will tell you to change a player and replace him with another when you know that player can do well?” he questioned.
He added that when such decisions affect results, the coach is usually the one held accountable.
“If the results don’t go well, they will come and blame you, and it means the problem is against you. These things happen, but people don’t want to speak the truth,” Arhinful said.
The former striker noted that some of the issues within Ghana football administration cannot always be discussed publicly because of the possible consequences.
“Where I am now, the things I hear, it’s not everything you can say in public because it can create problems,” he said.
Mr. Arhinful’s comments come after Ghana’s exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the Round of 32.
There were widespread reports that Black Stars head coach Carlos Queiroz had resigned after Ghana’s elimination, but the 73-year-old Portuguese coach later clarified that a message he posted on Instagram was only a note of appreciation to the team and supporters, and not a resignation.
Queiroz, who took charge of the Black Stars in April 2026 shortly before the World Cup, guided Ghana to the knockout stage before the team’s elimination by Colombia.
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