The Ghana coach, Otto Addo, believed he was prepared to progress in his coaching career, which resulted in his decision to join the Black Stars full-time.
Addo is now the permanent coach after leading Ghana to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
The team was under Chris Hughton’s management before, but Addo came back due to Hughton’s unsuccessful 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
The former Ghanaian international has been given a long-term contract with the goal of building a successful team.
In an interview with FIFA, Addo explained, “The first time I came I got a release from Borussia Dortmund [where I worked as a talent coach] to join for six months, but under the commitment that I had to come back.”
He added, “I played for Dortmund for six years and coached for five years, so keeping that relationship and my promise was very important. “Ghana then came again to ask me if I could join them on a regular basis, so it was a different discussion, and my contract was ending in 2025.”
He continued, “I thought I was ready to take the next step, so when I heard Ghana were interested again, I had to talk to Dortmund. I was very, very happy that [the Sporting Director] Sebastian Kehl allowed me to leave the club and that they could understand my readiness to develop myself and to go to the next step as a head coach.”
Addo’s second term has been fruitful. In June, Ghana won two games in a row against Mali and the Central African Republic, increasing its prospects of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The Black Stars are set to resume their campaign in September for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and Niger.