Former Black Stars assistant coach, George Boateng, has criticized the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for making poor decisions after the team’s disappointing performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Boateng was part of Otto Addo’s coaching team after the 2022 World Cup and stayed on until Ghana’s poor showing at AFCON in Ivory Coast. Following the team’s failure, the GFA dismissed the entire coaching staff.
Although Otto Addo was later reappointed as head coach, he could not secure Ghana’s qualification for the 2025 AFCON, making it the first time in 20 years that the country missed the tournament.
Speaking on SuperSport’s Soccer Africa, Boateng emphasized the need for consistency in team management.
“I am a very strong believer in continuity. I said it straight after the tournament [2023 AFCON] and also in the media that, as disappointing as it is, the federation has to analyze it.
“You have to go in-depth to see where the mistakes were in terms of management, players, and staff, and then you replace those who were not competent enough—whether it be the playing body, staff member, or technical team,” he said.
He also questioned whether the GFA had taken the necessary steps to rebuild after the AFCON failure.
“You then rebuild on that, but I am not too sure if that has been done after the Africa Cup of Nations because you can see that after I left, we have now had a bigger slide. At least when I was there, we qualified and were unlucky not to get out of the group stage,” he added.
Boateng has expressed his willingness to take on a head coach role, as rumors suggest he is being considered for the vacant coaching job at Blackburn Rovers.
With Ghana missing out on AFCON, the Black Stars will now focus on their upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where they will face Chad and Madagascar in Matchday Five and Six.