Ghana must pull out of 2027 AFCON qualifiers – Kojo Addae Mensah

Veteran sports analyst Kojo Addae Mensah has stated that it would be prudent for Ghana to withdraw from the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers amid the ongoing coaching crisis.

According to him, the decision to dismiss the coach in the middle of the qualifiers and the timing of hiring a new manager could have a dire effect on the team’s performances.

The CEO of Databank Group noted that, with only a few weeks until the next round of fixtures in the qualifiers, the next manager may not have adequate time to implement his ideas and shape the team to excel in the subsequent games.

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“From what has come out, it was not crucial. We have sacked the coach. We are playing a game on November 11. So we have six weeks to a game.

“Then everybody talks about the next coach without talking about the budget. But there's always the money thing that also pulls people back. Whoever the coach is, is going to have barely one week with the team, and we go into the Somalia game,” he told Luv FM.

Based on this, Kojo Addae has asserted that, given the prevailing circumstances, it would be prudent for the managers of the national team to withdraw from the 2027 AFCON qualifiers and use the opportunity to prepare and build the team for future international tournaments to avoid embarrassment.

“My extreme suggestion was that we should even pull out of the whole AFCON,” he stated.

Following the resignation of head coach Carlos Queiroz after the Black Stars’ back-to-back defeats to Côte d'Ivoire and The Gambia in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, the search for a new manager is underway, with a recommendation for a new manager expected by October 9, 2026.

SB/MA

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