A member of the 2006 Black Stars squad that helped Ghana become the first African nation to qualify for the World Cup, Derek Boateng, has issued a warning against interfering with Chris Hughton’s coaching duties.
As the nation hopes to end a 42-year wait for the AFCON title, Boateng is rallying support for the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager.
Hughton signed a 21 month contract to be coach of the Black Stars and supervised his first two games against Angola during the international break.
After an impressive two-legged game, where Ghana picked four points, Boateng believes Hughton has showed signs of succeeding as the Black Stars gaffer.
“He needs support because he is not too experienced on the African terrain. He needs support from the media, and the GFA should not interfere with his job.
He should be left to work independently and be allowed to call his choice of players because you can see that he is a very genuine coach so he needs to get that freedom to work so we can see how it goes,” Boateng told Asempa FM, as quoted by footballghana.com. “Chris Hughton has coached in the Premier League on several occasions, and we are all aware of his capabilities.
His profile is really good, but since this is his first national team job, he needs our support,” he added.
Boateng enjoyed a stellar career, playing for several clubs including Fulham in the English Premier League and Getafe in La Liga.