A prominent Ghanaian figure has backed the growing calls for the dismissal of Black Stars coach Otto Addo following the team's failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Black Stars endured a woeful campaign in Group F, finishing bottom without securing a single victory. They recorded three losses and three draws, marking a qualifying campaign that will likely haunt Ghanaian football for years to come.
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This failure means the four-time AFCON champions will miss the prestigious tournament for the first time in two decades, a bitter pill to swallow for a nation with such a proud footballing tradition.
Reports suggested that Addo was summoned by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to explain the team's dismal performance.
Despite this, the majority of the GFA panel were thought to have been in favour of allowing the manager to continue in his role.
However, the president of the Ghana Olympic Committee, Ben Nunoo Mensah, has voiced his disapproval, describing the failure to qualify as a national "embarrassment."
"Ghanaians have every right to call for the sack of the coach," he told Asempa FM, as reported by GHANAsoccernet.
"I believe that somebody must take responsibility for Black Stars' failure to qualify for the AFCON tournament. For failing to win a single game in the qualifiers and also failing to qualify, it is a total embarrassment."
Nunoo Mensah further criticised the GFA's decision-making, arguing that Addo should never have been appointed and suggested former Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah would have been a better option.
"I think that in so many years, Kwesi Appiah has been one of Ghana's best coaches, and it was sad we got him out in that manner," he added.
"Also, when there was an opportunity to appoint him again, we overlooked him. For me, because we are constrained by financial difficulties, we should look within ourselves."
Highlighting the success Ghana has achieved with local coaches in the past, Nunoo Mensah argued for a renewed focus on nurturing home-grown managerial talent.
"Most of the AFCON titles we won were with Ghanaian coaches, so why don't we look within ourselves and build people to the level of Pep Guardiola and co.? Those local coaches will be more committed to the nation," he continued.
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