Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has described Ghana Black Stars coach as ‘lucky’ following the team’s 5–0 win over the Central African Republic (CAR) in their FIFA World Cup qualifier yesterday.
The Minister however stated that there is still room for improvement for Coach Otto Addo.
Speaking on Joy News regarding the match, Mr. Adams commended the victory but said he still had concerns about the team’s performance.
“Well, he has been lucky, but there are still concerns,” he said.
“Concerns that he himself, most times when we meet, he will admit, ‘maybe I should have done a substitution, or I should have urged them on, or I should have fielded this person to play this role’.”
The minister stressed that while the coach’s recent results have been positive, there remains room for improvement.
“I must say he’s been lucky. It doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t improve,” he added.
The Minister, however, clarified that he could not describe the coach as incompetent.
“I can’t use the word incompetence on him because, first and foremost, I’m not a coach. I’m only a minister who loves the game and who analyses it,” he explained.
“Other coaches could describe whether he’s competent or not, but I’m not a coach, so I will not say so. But I am not satisfied. That’s all that I’m seeking to say.”
When asked whether he thinks the coach should stay or be replaced, Mr. Adams declined to answer.
“Maybe you have some people who say they want another person, and you have others who say they want him. Then, if I answered this question now, I would have been creating a problem. We still have games ahead of us,” he said.
He emphasized that matters concerning the technical direction of the national team fall under the purview of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and not his ministry alone.
“The minister doesn’t take those decisions. The minister will receive briefings. The minister will analyse the briefings. The minister will not take that decision alone. There’s a federation that we have handed over our national team to manage; the Ghana Football Association,” he stated.
The Black Stars’ 5–0 victory over CAR marks one of their strongest performances in recent times, boosting their chances in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers.
