Expectations from Kurt Okraku were simply too high – Ex-Black Stars coach Otto Addo

Former Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has criticised the Ghana Football Association (GFA), accusing the body of setting unrealistic expectations and making decisions based on short-term results rather than long-term planning.

In an interview with German football outlet 11Freunde, Addo revealed that his contract was terminated without a clear explanation just 72 days before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite successfully guiding Ghana to qualification for the tournament.

The 50-year-old argued that assessing his tactical project based on narrow friendly defeats against top European opponents such as Germany was unfair, insisting that those results did not reflect the progress being made by the team.

Addo described his working environment under GFA President Kurt Okraku as highly pressured and reactive, suggesting that the constant demand for immediate results made it difficult to build a stable team for the future.

“I still, to this day, haven’t understood the reason. The expectations from our federation president were simply too high.”

The former Ghana international was dismissed shortly after Ghana suffered friendly defeats against Austria and Germany, losing 5-1 and 2-1 respectively in March 2026.

Addo had been reappointed as Black Stars coach in March 2024 on a three-year contract, with an option for a further two years.

However, his second stint was marked by Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, ending the country’s two-decade run of consecutive appearances at the tournament.

Despite that setback, Addo successfully guided Ghana to a fifth FIFA World Cup appearance after the team topped their qualifying group.

However, a poor run of results leading into the tournament led to his dismissal, with Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz appointed as his replacement ahead of Ghana’s World Cup campaign.