Former Ghana head coach Otto Addo has criticised the Ghana Football Association (GFA) over what he describes as unrealistic expectations that contributed to his dismissal ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking in an interview with German football publication 11Freunde, Addo said the GFA terminated his contract without providing a clear explanation, despite his role in guiding Ghana to qualification for the global tournament.
The 50-year-old argued that judging his performance based on narrow friendly defeats against top European opponents, including Germany, was unfair and failed to take into account the broader development of the team.
Addo, who described the environment under GFA President Kurt Okraku as highly demanding and reactive, said the constant pressure made it difficult to build a long-term project with the Black Stars.
“I still, to this day, haven’t understood the reason. The expectations from our federation president were simply too high,” he said.
The former Ghana international was dismissed 72 days before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following pre-tournament friendly defeats against Austria and Germany. Ghana suffered a 5-1 loss to Austria before losing 2-1 to Germany in Stuttgart.
Addo was reappointed as Black Stars coach in March 2024 on a three-year contract, with an option for an additional two years.
His second spell was marked by mixed results, including Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), ending the country’s run of appearing at every tournament since 2004.
Despite the setback, Addo successfully guided Ghana through the World Cup qualifiers to secure the country’s fifth appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
He was eventually replaced by Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz as Ghana prepared for the tournament, with the GFA citing the team’s poor run of form as one of the reasons behind the decision.
