Save Ghana Football conveners unhappy about Otto Addo’s re-appointment

Conveners of ‘Save Ghana Football’ have expressed disappointment over the appointment of Otto Addo as the new coach for the Black Stars of Ghana.

The former Ghana international was recently reappointed as Black Stars head coach, where he was given a 34-month contract with an option for a further 24-month contract extension.

There have been mixed reactions in the sports media over Otto Addo’s appointment, with some saying he is not the right man to lead the rejuvenation of the Black Stars while others suggest otherwise.

Save Ghana Football, a group of Sports Journalists who recently held a demonstration for reforms in Ghana football, have disagreed with the decision by the Ghana Football Association to appoint Otto Addo.

A statement from the group said their demand to halt the search for a new coach until a report of Ghana’s poor outing at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations had been annulled.

“We stand by our assertions that changing and appointing coaches after every horror show as seen in the last five years is not a panacea to developing the game and resolving the many issues that have bedevilled football in the country.

“The GFA’s latest series of events culminating in the announcement of a new coach and his backroom staff is just business as usual and to cover up for the second successive embarrassment at the AFCON under the current GFA administration.

“We find the appointment of Otto Addo as problematic and insensitive to the Ghanaian public, given that Otto Addo is on record to have said that the Ghana job was not attractive enough to himself and family to want to keep beyond the 2022 World Cup in Ghana and let alone to live here in Ghana,” the statement said.

The group also demanded the financial compensation Ghana offered to Dortmund in exchange for Otto Addo, who left his job as a trainer scout for the German side.

“We also demand full disclosure of all financial compensation involved in the employment of a new set of the technical team who will be paid by the taxpayer,” the statement ended.

Meanwhile, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Simeon-Okraku, has cited the coach’s exceptional vision and plans to rejuvenate the national team and restore Ghana’s footballing prominence.

“Otto was exceptional in the interview process and was rated highly by the search committee, hence the decision to recruit him. There were some brilliant individuals among the coaches who applied for the job, so the committee took the pain to interview a chunk of them to pick their thoughts on their intentions to transform the team within a short period due to our peculiar situation”.