Hughton and Addo have been appointed by GFA to take charge of Black Stars’ double-header against the Super Eagles
By Kehinde Okeowo
After weeks of speculation, Ghana Football Association (GFA) has officially named former Brighton boss Chris Hughton as Black Stars’ technical adviser and Otto Addo as the new manager.
A GFA statement made available on their website on Wednesday states that the two men and their crew will lead Ghana in the 2022 World Cup qualifying play-off against 3 times African champions, Nigeria in March.
The statement also listed other members of the ad-hoc technical team as George Boateng and Mas-Ud Didi Dramani.
ALSO READ: Mikel Arteta names Alexandre Lacazette as Arsenal captain
The statement reads:
“Former Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton has been appointed as Technical Advisor to the newly constituted Black Stars technical team led by Otto Addo.
“Other members of the new technical team include George Boateng and Mas-Ud Didi Dramani. The 63-year-old will provide technical advice to the three-man team for next month’s Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 play-off match against Nigeria.
“The Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association took the decision at a meeting held in Accra on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.
“The four-man team has been put together to take charge of the two matches against rivals Nigeria.”
Hughton has been tipped to take over the job since it became vacant after the sack of Milovan Rajevac for a poor Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) outing in Cameroon.
The new team will be in charge of the World Cup qualifiers against the Super Eagles, while a substantive head coach and technical team are expected to be named after the encounter.
Ghana will host the first leg of the double-header against Nigeria in Accra at the Cape Coast stadium on March 24 before travelling for the return leg in Abuja at the Moshood Abiola stadium three days later.
The GFA statement further revealed the resume of the new coach, Otto Addo, as well as the details of the dates and venues of the matches.
“Otto Addo, a former Ghana player is currently the Assistant Coach of German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund – he boasts about 13 years of Coaching experience that dates back to 2009 when he first took up the job of an assistant coach at Hamburger SV.
“The 46-year-old previously worked as a scout for the Black Stars in 2013 prior to the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil and the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
“The Black Stars will take on the Super Eagles at the Cape Coast stadium on March 24 before travelling to Nigeria for the 2nd leg at the Abuja Sports stadium on Sunday, March 27, 2022.” the statement further revealed.
Ghana are desperate to beat Nigeria and earn their 4th participation at the World Cup, after a dismal outing at the last AFCON tournament in Cameroon.