Ghana should consider 2027 AFCON withdrawal, says Kojo Addae Mensah

Chief Executive Officer of Databank Ghana, Kojo Addae Mensah, has suggested that Ghana should consider withdrawing from the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers because of concerns over the limited time available to appoint and prepare a new head coach.

The Black Stars are due to face Somalia on 11 November, leaving the Ghana Football Association (GFA) with about six weeks to appoint a replacement for Carlos Queiroz and prepare the team for the next qualifier.

A five-member technical search committee has been established to identify and recommend a new coach for the national team following Queiroz's departure.

However, Addae Mensah questioned whether the process could be completed in time, particularly if the preferred candidate is under contract with another club or national team and has to serve a notice period.

He also highlighted the potential financial implications of appointing a new coach.

"From what has come out, it was not crucial. We have sacked the coach. We are playing a game on 11th November. So we have six weeks to a game," he told Luv FM.

"Then everybody talks about the next coach without talking about the budget. But there's always the money thing that also pulls people back."

Addae Mensah also questioned how much preparation time a new coach would have with the players before the Somalia fixture.

"Coach will come in, let's say, end of October or last but one week of October. Coach has arrived, but he has already have the team with him. Whoever the coach is, he is going to have barely one week with the team, and we go into the Somalia game," he said.

He said the circumstances had led him to consider an extreme option - Ghana withdrawing from the 2027 AFCON qualifiers altogether.

"My extreme suggestion was that we should even pull out of the whole AFCON," he said.

Ghana have made a difficult start to their qualifying campaign, losing to Ivory Coast and Gambia in their opening two Group C matches.

The Black Stars are currently bottom of the group without a point and face Somalia twice in October as they attempt to revive their hopes of reaching the tournament.