Ghana FA president Kurt Okraku has finally opened the lid on why Otto Addo was sacked as Black Stars coach barely two months to the start of 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to Okraku, it was a tough decision to make, especially, having worked with Otto for several years but the country’s interest comes first and believes it was the right decision to how him the exit.
Despite Ghana qualifying to the World Cup, the team have failed to win any of their last four games under Otto, conceding 10 goals and scoring only two in the process and the 5-1 humiliation defeat against Austria increased the chants to push him under the bus.
In an exclusive interview in Germany with renowned journalist Michael Oti Adjei of TV3, Okraku reiterated his admiration for Otto but with results not coming in and pressure mounting, he had to go with the collective decision of the executive committee of the Football Association.
Kurt Okraku: “I think that has been a period of two phases. I would say one phase is me watching Ghana play against Germany and putting up a decent performance, and another phase me is having to say bye, bye to a coach I’ve worked well with for for a while. So it’s been, it’s been, shall I say that it’s been tough 24 hours but that’s life.”
Oti Adjei: How tough was it. Did you have the conversation with Otto about a dismissal face to face himself?
Kurt Okraku: Yes, I did. I did. Obviously, once I employed him, I am also responsible for everything that is connected to his job. So, as human as we are, I mean, and having worked with him since 2022, we’ve had a good working relationship but at the end, as leaders as we are, it’s always important for us to look at ourselves in our faces and speak about issues that concern us and how we can progress as individuals and as a collective.
Oti Adjei: At what point did you come to the decision? Because I’ve had a lot of private conversations with you and conversations on the record like this and if there’s one thing that runs through both streams of conversations, it is your unyielding conviction that Otto could easily become Ghana’s version of Aliou Cisse. At what point did you decide that this was not working?
Kurt Okraku: So, first of all, I would say, without being proud, with all humility, that I’m a leader who is dynamic. You may have your strong opinions about issues, but there are moments that you need to listen to the team for the greater good of our country. And at this moment, we thought it is Ghana first, and we have to go in a different direction.
Oti Adjei: What did you see that convinced you about this?
Kurt Okraku: I don’t know whether it’s about what did I see, or what did I hear, or perhaps both. I’ve seen Otto work over time, since we engaged him, I’ve had millions of comments. I’ve seen him prepare the team for games. I’ve seen the last four or five games that we have played. I’ve seen the group, as in the executive committee, discuss the games that we have played and I’ve also heard about our shared vision for the World Cup and I thought that it was time for us to look at another direction. for commodition.”
Otto Addo managed 22 games in his second stints with Ghana, won eight, drew five and lost nine. In total, 35 goals were conceded while 28 goals were scored with a win percentage of 36.36.
Ghana have two more international friendly games to fine tune before facing Panama, England and Croatia in Group I of the World Cup which will be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
