Nii Lante Vanderpuye, a former Sports Minister, has said Black Stars coach Otto Addo is inexperienced and immature.
However, Nii Lante Vanderpuye rejected calls for his dismissal following his impressive performance in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers.
According to the former Sport Minister, Otto Addo needs support and called on the Ghana Football Association to strengthen his technical team by bringing in experienced figures.
Speaking to Citi News, Vanderpuye explained, “With the team he has, he is quite inexperienced and immature for them. I will not hide that. We need someone with vast experience to come in as a technical advisor to guide us as we go into the World Cup.
But changing him is not something I will recommend at this time—it will be too expensive and also risky,” he said.
He further urged the Blackstars to avenge their two painful defeats to Comoros.
“Against Comoros, we have qualified already. Even if we lose, Madagascar would need to win by eight goals to overtake us, which is practically impossible.
But we should still win against Comoros because of the painful defeat we suffered in the past. We have to prove to them that we are Ghana,” he exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Sports Minister Kofi Adams has once again cast doubt on Black Stars coach Otto Addo following Ghana’s 5-0 victory over the Central African Republic in Morocco.
According to Kofi Adams, coach Otto Addo has been very lucky, but there are still concerns about his performance.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Wednesday, Kofi Adams stated, “Well, he has been lucky, but there are still concerns”.
“Well, concerns that he himself most times when we meet, he will admit maybe I should have done a substitution, or I should have urged them on, or I should have fielded this person to play this role.
“And so there are concerns. But I must say he’s been lucky. It doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t improve. I can’t say that he’s totally incompetent. I can’t use the word incompetence on him because, first and foremost, I’m not a coach. I’m only a minister who loves the game and who analyses it”.
Kofi Adams added, “If I had been a coach before, other coaches could describe whether he’s competent or not, but I’m not a coach, so I will not say so. But I am not satisfied. That’s all that I’m seeking to say.”
“Yes, he’s qualified, but I know I have sat on some hooks and nails and things that were pointing me to get up in the past. I’ve had to get up to use the washroom a number of times by force”.
When asked if Otto Addo is the right man to lead Ghana to the World Cup, Kofi Adams stated, “Well, I can’t answer that question now. If I answer the question now, then I will be kind of creating a situation. Maybe you have some people who say they want another person, and you have others who say they want him.
“Then, if I answered this question now, I would have been creating a problem. We still have games ahead of us. There’s a game we haven’t finished.”
He further revealed that the Sport Minister does not decide Otto Ado’s fate, “The minister doesn’t take those decisions. The minister will receive briefings. The minister will analyse the briefings. The minister will not take that decision alone. There’s a federation that we have handed over our national team to manage, which is the Ghana Football Association.
“They have a role to play, and so I cannot sit here when we haven’t had that conversation to be talking about whether we are retaining or dismissing the coach. I can’t go into that realm.”
“Well, there are decisions to be made every day, including even who plays and who doesn’t play. There are decisions to be made in the coaching, nutrition, and physiotherapy departments.”
Kofi Adams’ comments come following the Black Stars on the brink of qualifying for the World Cup after beating the Central African Republic in Morocco by 5 goals to nil.
The Black Stars are just one point away from qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.