Interference claims: Kurt Okraku replies CK Akonnor

Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku denied that he never interfered with Charles Kwabla Akonnor's work during the latter's spell as Black Stars coach.

He clarified that not only did he not interfere with Akonnor's work but also with Black Stars coach Chris Hughton, who was recently axed from the role.

“I did not interfere with the work of Charles Akonnor, I did not interfere with the work of Otto Addo, neither did I interfere with the work of Chris Houghton”, said Kurt Okraku at the GFA's meet the press on Tuesday.

The Kurt Okraku-led administration has been accused of influencing coaches' decisions, which many believe is one of the major factors in Ghana's recent failures.

Black Stars player Derrick Boateng bought into the narrative, claiming the ex-Asante Kotoko manager was not given the freedom to operate independently.

“I feel they didn’t help CK Akonnor at all. They controlled things for him but kicked him out when it went bad, and that’s bad."

"I heard CK [Akonnor] complaining to someone I was close to, and that’s not the best,” Derek Boateng said on Asempa FM as quoted by 3news.

CK Akonnor was in charge for less than one year. He was sacked in September 2021, and replaced with Serbia's Milovan Rajevac following a poor start in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

EE/EK