Black Coach Addo Makes Ghana Proud

The Black Stars of Ghana yesterday qualified to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after they kicked out the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the latter’s own back yard to earn the slot.

It is Ghana’s fourth qualification to the global football stage and hopes are still very high.

Last night’s victory was sweetened even further by the fact that the Black Stars had a Ghanaian coach in the person of Otto Addo who seems to have a magic wand that has transformed the Black Stars which broke hearts at the recent AFCON into a Black Stars that excites the nation and Ghanaians across the globe.

It should settle the debate on whether a Black Coach can indeed take the Black Stars to higher heights.

The issue of whether or not to have a Ghanaian coach has been a sensitive and topical one that has dominated news headlines and sparked emotions.

In February this year, just last month, Otoo Addo was appointed an interim coach for the Black Stars after the rusty, wacky Serbian old man of a coach with archaic ideas, Milovan Rajevac faded the Black Stars into disgrace at the recent AFCON.

The foreign coach was annoyingly disappointing  to an unbearable extent even Members of Parliament called for his dismissal during discussions on the floor of the House.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) then confirmed it had appointment Otto Addo as the interim Black Stars coach for the crucial World Cup playoffs against Nigeria.

It said the Borussia Dortmund talent development coach will be supported by former Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion manager, Chris Hughton, as the technical advisor.

Barely a month after the appointment of Otoo Addo, he has coached the Black Stars to qualify for the World Cup and indirectly brought back the love Ghanaians had for the team .

The hope started to resurrect when the Black Stars held the Super Eagles to a goalless draw in Kumasi last week but the real joy was after yesterday’s match when Arsenal midfielder’s Thomas Partey in the 10th minute put Ghana in the lead.

The Nigerians equalized in 22nd minute after a VAR check awarded the Super Eagles a penalty and the game ended with a goal per side but Ghana qualified anyway because it had scored an away goal.

The MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja that was filled to capacity with a never tiring Nigerian crown had to return home in silence with eggs on their faces.