Black Stars need a coach who understands Ghana’s football culture – Odartey Lamptey

Former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey has urged the football authorities to appoint a Black Stars coach who understands the wider challenges facing Ghanaian football.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) and former head coach Carlos Queiroz recently parted ways after the Black Stars made a disappointing start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The GFA and the Sports Ministry have since established a five-member technical search committee to identify and recommend candidates for the vacant position.

The committee is expected to submit its report on Friday, 9 October.

Lamptey believes the next coach must have a broader understanding of Ghana’s football environment and should not focus exclusively on the senior national team.

“We have to make sure that the next person we appoint will know our situation,” Lamptey told 3Sports.

“It is not about the Black Stars; our football has gone down.”

Ghana opened their Group C campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Ivory Coast before suffering another setback against The Gambia.

The Black Stars took a commanding 2-0 lead at the Accra Sports Stadium but collapsed in the second half to lose 4-2, leaving them without a point from their opening two matches.

The poor results have intensified scrutiny on the GFA and raised fresh concerns over Ghana’s chances of qualifying for the 2027 AFCON.

The four-time African champions already missed the 2025 tournament in Morocco, ending a run of appearances stretching back more than two decades.

Ghana will look to revive their campaign in October when they face Somalia in a double-header, with both matches scheduled to take place at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that the search committee is expected to recommend an interim coach to oversee the Somalia AFCON back-to-back fixtures before a substantive head coach is appointed.