The Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has defended the decision to part ways with Otto Addo as head coach of the Black Stars, insisting it was a collective move grounded in performance assessments.

Speaking on Ekosiisen on Asempa FM on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Mr Adams acknowledged the coach’s role in helping Ghana secure qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup but noted that concerns persisted over his overall performance.

“I have really expressed my views about Coach Otoo Addo’s performance. He has helped us, we have qualified, but whether we like it or not, everyone expressed a lot of concerns,” he said.

According to the Minister, although efforts were made to support and defend the coach, including setting performance benchmarks, those expectations were not fully met.

He explained that the Ghana Football Association (FA), which is responsible for managing the team, conducted its own technical analysis before arriving at the decision.

“If the FA that we have handed over the team to have also done their technical analysis and thought that… he wasn’t meeting them, we still thought that let’s go with him, and if they have reached a certain point and want that decision taken, mine is to make sure that it’s a good decision… and we supported it,” he stated.

Mr Adams also dismissed claims that he travelled to Germany specifically to orchestrate the coach’s dismissal during an international friendly.

“No, how. I didn’t need to go there to get the coach sacked,” he said.

He clarified that his trip was pre-planned as part of routine engagements ahead of major tournaments, including scheduled meetings involving the playing body, technical team, the Ministry, and the FA.

“So right from the word go, we knew that we were going to have a meeting… just after the Germany game, we will meet, and it was for that reason why I flew into Germany,” he explained.

The Minister added that discussions about the coach’s future had already taken place prior to his arrival, with a decision largely reached before the meeting.

“Before I got there, there had been conversations about whether we maintain the coach or sack him… it was not like I went there just to do that. It was a collective decision,” he stated.

He maintained that the decision followed due process and was based on technical evaluations aimed at ensuring the best outcome for the national team.