Kurt Okraku: Black Starsâ?? next coach 99% in place, appointment imminent

Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku has revealed that the Black Stars’ next head coach is 99% in place, with the appointment expected to be finalised before the team regroups for the start of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The Black Stars are currently without a confirmed head coach following the expiry of Carlos Queiroz’s short-term contract in August.

Queiroz’s future had been uncertain for weeks. In July, the Portuguese coach issued a statement that was widely interpreted as his departure from the Black Stars, although it later emerged that he had not formally left the position at the time.

His contract eventually expired in August.

Reports had suggested that Queiroz was making demands that the government and the GFA were unable to meet, making his continuation increasingly unlikely.

Okraku has now confirmed that the GFA has already made significant progress towards appointing the coach who will lead the Black Stars into their next chapter.

“Ghana will have a coach before we regroup. The coach who will lead the Black Stars is 99% in place. The coach who will lead the Black Stars is already working,” Okraku told 3Sports.

The GFA president explained that only the final formalities remain before the appointment can be announced.

“We are just at that last line where we have to sign papers and formalise the relationship. We have a machinery in place; we are working,” he added.

Okraku did not reveal whether the coach he referred to is Queiroz or another candidate.

However, with the Portuguese coach’s contract now expired and reports indicating that negotiations over his demands had reached an impasse, Ghana are expected to move forward with a new technical direction.

Black Stars assistant coach Desmond Ofei has been tipped to take interim charge if the GFA does not appoint a permanent coach before the next international window.

The timing of the decision is crucial.

Ghana will begin their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September against Ivory Coast, with the Black Stars desperate to avoid another disappointing qualification campaign.

Ghana failed to qualify for the last Africa Cup of Nations, missing out on the tournament for the first time since 2004.

The GFA will therefore be under pressure to resolve the coaching situation quickly as the Black Stars prepare for a crucial new qualification campaign.

 

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