The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has defended the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) decision to repurpose the Black Stars head coach’s official residence into a technical directorate hub.

His comments come amid discussions over new head coach Carlos Queiroz currently staying in a hotel ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to the Minister, the GFA is within its rights to determine how to utilise facilities allocated to it, insisting the state is not bearing the cost of the coach’s accommodation.

“The GFA is looking for a structure or a facility to support its work, and they have identified the residence given to them by the state to serve as a base for the technical directorate,” Adams said.

“They have not come to the state to request funds to pay for the coach’s accommodation. If they are using their own funds or internally generated funds to take care of that, then it is no different from renting a place for whoever occupies that role.”

Adams added that the decision is a practical one, aimed at strengthening the FA’s technical operations.

“The technical directorate needs space to operate, and if at some point they feel it is more cost-effective to use that facility for that purpose, then I don’t see any problem with it. The issue has only come up because a new coach is in charge and is currently staying in a hotel,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Minister has also outlined the expectations for Queiroz, revealing that the Portuguese tactician has been tasked with leading Ghana to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Queiroz was unveiled last Thursday following the dismissal of Otto Addo after defeats to Austria and Germany during the March international break.

The former Egypt coach has signed a short-term deal with the GFA to lead the Black Stars to the tournament.

“We have given the coach a target to do better than we did in 2010. It was the same target given to Otto Addo,” Adams said.

“The team should be among the top five in Africa, and we should be competing strongly at AFCON, which we failed to qualify for.

“We want to improve at the World Cup by reaching at least the semi-finals. Ultimately, the dream is to win it.”

Ghana have been drawn in Group L, where they will face Panama, England and Croatia.