The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has reportedly extended the contract of interim coach Otto Addo for a year, effectively allowing him to manage the Black Stars at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
This comes after a successful agreement was reached between the GFA and Borussia Dortmund, where Addo currently serves as a scout and assistant coach.
Addo was named as interim coach before the World Cup playoffs. He was assisted by Chris Hughton as technical advisor, while George Boateng and Mas-Ud Didi Dramani were also appointed as members of the technical team.
The 46-year-old was the mastermind as the Black Stars booked their place at the World Cup following a pulsating 1-1 draw against Nigeria at the Mashood Abiola Stadium in March.
A first-half strike by Thomas Partey was cancelled out by a penalty from Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong as both teams shared the spoils in Abuja.
The result sealed Ghana’s qualification on away goals after the first leg ended in a goalless draw at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.
Addo has been widely praised for turning things around very quickly, especially after the team’s disastrous campaign at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The former midfielder also appeared to get the approval of President Nana Akufo-Addo when the national team visited the Jubilee House after qualifying for the World Cup.
“I’m hoping that the technical team that has been put together for these two matches will at least take us through the World Cup,” Akufo-Addo said during that meeting
“I told the coach that he should be careful when he came to Ghana; that he could be kidnapped here and we’ll make it difficult for him to go back to Germany and to Dortmund.
“But I hope that Mr. Okraku, [you’ll do] whatever you can to keep this team together, at least until Qatar. Then afterwards, we can take the long-term decision,” he added.
With Addo now set to lead the Black Stars in Qatar, it remains to be seen whether Chris Hughton and the other technical team members will also stick around.
Meanwhile, Ghana will face Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea in Group H of the World Cup which kickstarts in November.
Source; PulseGhana