South African coach Roger De Sa has described his role as Carlos Queiroz's assistant at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as "another great chapter" in his career, despite the challenges that preceded Ghana's campaign.
In an interview with Flashscore, De Sa opened up about the frantic preparation, the injury crisis, and the satisfaction of guiding the Black Stars past the group stage.
"It was another great chapter in my career," De Sa said.
When De Sa and Queiroz took over, Ghana had lost six consecutive matches. With only 10 days to work with the squad, De Sa embarked on a four-week scouting mission across Europe, visiting 24 cities.
"I visited about 24 cities in four weeks, which involved some crazy travelling," he revealed.
The selection process was complicated by injuries to key players, including both centre-backs and Mohammed Kudus.
"You could travel to another city to watch a player, take your seat in the stadium and then find that he was on the bench," De Sa added.
Ghana opened with a gritty 1-0 win over Panama, which De Sa described as the team's "cup final". They then held England to a goalless draw before falling to Croatia and Colombia.
"If VAR had not gone for coffee, we probably would have received a penalty. I think even Stevie Wonder would have given it," he joked about the England game.
Ghana exited in the Round of 32 after a 1-0 defeat to Colombia, but De Sa believes the campaign was a success.
"Considering the players we had available and the limited preparation time, I felt it was a satisfactory performance overall," he concluded.
The 54-year-old has been linked with the vacant Orlando Pirates head coach position, but his immediate future remains uncertain after gaining valuable World Cup experience with Ghana.
Send your news stories to [email protected] and via WhatsApp on +233 546310076.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS