Sports Minister Kofi Adams has distanced himself from decisions about the future of Black Stars coach Otto Addo, insisting that such matters are not within his authority.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Wednesday, the Buem MP said the decision on whether Otto Addo remains in charge of the senior national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup lies with the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

“Minister doesn’t take those decisions,” he stressed.

“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.

"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.”

His comments come after the Black Stars recorded a commanding 5-0 win over the Central African Republic (CAR) in Morocco, putting Ghana one point away from qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Otto Addo’s team scored four second-half goals to maintain a three-point lead at the top of Group I. But while fans celebrated the win, the minister said there were still concerns about the team’s performance and coaching decisions.

“Well, he has been lucky,” Mr Adams said. “But there are still concerns.”

He explained that even the coach himself admits to moments that could have been handled differently.

“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,” he said. “And so there are concerns. But I must say he’s been lucky. It doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t improve.”

Pressed on whether that meant the coach was not competent, the minister clarified that he would not use such a label.

“I can’t say that he’s totally incompetent,” Mr Adams said.

“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. 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.”

He added that while Otto Addo deserves credit for leading Ghana to the brink of World Cup qualification, the journey has not been comfortable.

“Yes, he’s qualified,” the minister said.

“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. So I must express that. But again, I repeat, I cannot describe him as incompetent.”

When asked if Otto Addo should lead the team to the World Cup, Mr Adams declined to give a direct answer.

“I can’t answer that question now,” he said. “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 answer this question now, I would have been creating a problem. We still have games ahead of us.”

The minister, however, acknowledged that decisions remain to be made across all areas of the national team setup.

“Well, there are decisions to be made every day, including even who plays and who doesn’t play,” he said. “There are decisions to be taken whether in the coaching, the nutrition, or the physiotherapy department.”