‘If sacking coaches were the norm, Arteta wouldn’t be at Arsenal’ — Black Stars team manager defends Otto Addo

Team manager for the Black Stars, Ameenu Shardow, has defended Head Coach of the Black Stars Otto Addo amidst intense criticism following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Commenting on Otto Addo’s future, Shardow believes the coach should be judged on more than just results. He argued that if results were the only factor, a coach like Mikel Arteta would have been sacked during his early struggles at Arsenal.

In an interview on Happy FM, Shardow argued that sacking Otto Addo would be a mistake.

“If that is the way in sacking coaches like Mikel Arteta should not be at the helm of Arsenal after his first two seasons,” he stated.

Contrary to widespread criticism from Ghanaian football fans, Shardow believes the Black Stars were simply unfortunate to miss out on the 2025 AFCON.

“If we are going to be honest and factual about what happened, did anything in our first game against Angola suggest we deserved to lose? When you set emotions aside, delve deeper into the details, and analyze the games, you’ll see we performed well. Based on the team’s overall performance in all the games, Ghana should have topped the group—unless you choose to ignore the facts,” he added.

Meanwhile, Otto Addo’s fate is set to be determined when the Ghana FA Executive Council meets on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, to discuss the team’s performance during the qualifiers.

FKA/BB