Otto Addo takes charge of Black Stars

• Posted on February 10, 2022February 10, 2022
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has appointed Otto Addo as head of the newly-constituted technical team of the Black Stars for next month’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoff against Nigeria.

Addo, who was an assistant coach during the short reign of Milovan Rajevac, will team up with compatriots Mas-Ud Didi Dramani and George Boateng as assistants.

The appointment of the assistant coach of Borussia Dortmund was made by the GFA’s Executive Council at its meeting Wednesday (Feb 9, 2022).

It also named former Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion manager, Chris Hughton, as Technical Advisor to the three-man team for the playoff.

Hughton, 63, born in London to Irish and Ghanaian parents, had been strongly linked to the vacant coaching job following the sacking last month of Rajevac following Ghana’s abysmal performance at the just-ended Africa Cup of nations tournament in Cameroun where the Black Stars exited at the group phase with Ghana’s worst ever AFCON record.

Last week, a three-man delegation, led by GFA President, Mr Kurt Okraku met with officials of Dortmund to seek the release of Addo for the upcoming fixture with Nigeria, as well as other areas of technical cooperation between the FA and the German Bundesliga club.

Addo, 46, was the FA’s preferred choice to lead the team against Nigeria because of his knowledge with the team’s players and the dressing room as one of Rajevac’s backroom staff during the 2022 World Cup qualifying competition.

He also played the role as chief scout for Ghana at the 2014 FIFA world Cup in Brazil and at the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea.

He holds a UEFA Pro Licence in coaching and has 13 years experience in coaching dating back to 2009 when he took up his first job as an assistant coach of the Under-19 team of German side, Hamburger SV, and later as an assistant coach of the senior team.

He has also served as assistant manager of Danish topflight side, Nordsjaelland, and also as a Trainer Scout of German side, Borussia Monchengladbach.

A former Ghana international, Addo scored two goals in 13 appearances for the Black Stars between 1999 and 2006, representing Ghana at the 2000 AFCON and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Boateng, 46, holds a UEFA Pro Licence in coaching and is currently the Assistant coach of the under-23 side of English side Aston Villa. He previously handled the academy side of english club Blackburn Rovers and Malaysian side Kelatan FC.

Dramani, 55, holds a UEFA Licence A in coaching and is currently the Technical Director of the Right to Dream Academy, having previously worked as an assistant manager of Nordsjaelland in Denmark.

He is famous for coaching Kumasi Asante Kotoko to win the Ghana Premier League title in the 2013/2014 season.

Earlier, he led the Black Maidens to win a bronze medal at the 2012 FIFA U-17 women’s world Cup in Azerbaijan. 

The Black Stars take on the Super Eagles at the Cape Coast stadium on March 24 before travelling to Nigeria for the return at the Abuja Sports stadium on March 27.

In a related development, the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association has appointed its vice president ,Mark Addo as Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee.

Other Members of the Committee include Kwasi Agyemang (vice chairman), Samuel Osei Kuffuor, Kwame Ofosu Bamfo, Colonel Kwadwo Damoah (Rtd.) and Alhaji Karim Gruzah.

The committee has ultimate responsibility of directing the activities of the team, ensuring it is well run and delivering the outcomes, monitoring the activities of the technical team, the medical team and the playing body to ensure they are keeping with the founding principles, objectives and values of the team.

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