BY NADIA NTIAMOAH
Former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey has urged the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to look beyond the immediate fortunes of the Black Stars when selecting the country’s next head coach.
Lamptey believes the next coach must have a deep understanding of the broader challenges confronting Ghanaian football and should be prepared to contribute to the development of the game beyond the senior national team.
Ghana are currently searching for a new head coach following the departure of Carlos Queiroz after a disappointing start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign.
The GFA and the Ministry of Sports have constituted a five-member technical search committee to identify and recommend suitable candidates for the vacant position. The committee is expected to submit its report on Friday, October 9.
For Lamptey, however, the appointment should not be viewed simply as a search for someone capable of turning around the Black Stars’ immediate results.
“We have to make sure that the next person we appoint will know our situation,” Lamptey told 3Sports.
“It is not about the Black Stars; our football has gone down.”
His comments come after Ghana made a disastrous start to their Group C AFCON qualifying campaign, suffering consecutive defeats to Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia.
The Black Stars opened their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire before suffering another setback at the Accra Sports Stadium against The Gambia.
Ghana raced into a 2-0 lead but failed to protect the advantage as The Gambia mounted a remarkable comeback to win 4-2, leaving the Black Stars without a point from their opening two matches.
The poor start has increased pressure on the GFA and raised concerns over Ghana’s chances of qualifying for the 2027 AFCON, particularly after the country also missed the 2025 tournament in Morocco.
The Black Stars must now attempt to revive their campaign when they face Somalia in a double-header during the October international window. Both matches are scheduled to take place at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The search committee is also reportedly expected to recommend an interim coach to oversee the two matches while the process of appointing a substantive head coach continues.
