The newly appointed Black Stars Head Coach, Carlos Manuel Brito Leal de Queiroz, has declared his readiness for the Ghana challenge which he described as the biggest in his coaching career spanning over 43 years.
Coach Queiroz is beginning a four-month contract to take charge of the Black Stars for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be staged in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Speaking at his unveilling, yesterday, coach Queiroz said since arrival on Wednesday, he has seen and felt the Ghanaian vibration around the Black Stars.
“The Black Stars is huge, and that means our dreams and expectation are also huge. I must say that after eight national teams and a couple of important competitions, this is the biggest challenge of all my entire career and I’m ready for it,” he noted.
Describing himself as the winning coach, Coach Queiroz mentioned that he was confident of getting the best out of the players available.
He said the task at hand demands a lot of hard work, and for that reason, he vowed to put in place a dedicated team already working behind the scenes to track player performance to inform selections.
According to him, no individual was bigger than the team, stressing that, “no one owns the Ghana jersey, everyone must fight to make the team.”
He stated that he was not ready to give promises about what to expect at the Mundial although he believes Ghana has the men to record wins at the group stage, starting with Panama.
He said he has discussed with the Football Association plans to watch the local games in order to monitor some of the local talents.
As agreed by the coach and the Ghana Football Association (GFA), five new members of staff would join as support staff.
The GFA will make an official announcement regarding their names and their specific roles in the coming days.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will continue to work with a core of the staff that worked under Otto Addo. Among them are Assistant Coach, Desmond Offei, High-Performance Coach, John Paintsil, and Goalkeepers Coach, Abdul Fatau Dauda.
Earlier, the coach in the company of GFA President, Kurt Okraku; Vice President, Mark Addo; Chief of Staff, Michael Osekre; Randy Abbey, Black Stars Management Committee Chairman; and Communications Director, Henry Asante Twum, was introduced to the Minister of Sports and Recreation and staff of the ministry.
The Minister of Sports and Recreation (MoSR), Mr Kofi Adams, noted that Ghana stands to benefit greatly from the experience of newly appointed Black Stars Head Coach, Carlos Queiroz.
“As a country, we’ll benefit greatly from him. Coach Queiroz has gathered experience from all over the world. This is the time for the Black Stars to benefit from his expertise,” he underlined.
Welcoming the 73-year-old Portuguese manager, the minister said that his great experience over the last four decades would be of great benefit to the Black Stars at the Mundial.
“We are so lucky to have such an experience coach to lead us to the World Cup and together, we will work to achieve success,” he mentioned.
Mr Okraku urged Ghanaians to support the coach to be successful on the pitch.
“He is now part of us and needs our support. He needs all of us to continue working hard to make sure we achieve success on the pitch for mother Ghana,” he said.
Mr Okraku thanked MoRS for the unflinching support in the successful appointment of Queiroz and hoped that support would be sustained to have a smooth relationship.
Meanwhile, the minister was joined by staff of the ministry to present a hand-woven Fugu to the coach.
Making the presentation, Mr Adams said it was to show that he was now a Ghanaian, until for the period he stays here.
“You are going to be in charge of one of the things that is very dear to the heart of Ghanaians. For this reason, we cannot treat you as an outsider; you are fully part of us and this gift is a further testament to that,” he added.
Coach Queiroz, who has been handed a four-month contract to take charge of the Black Stars at the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup, expressed appreciation for the gesture by the staff. Ghana would make her fifth appearance at the Mundial having been drawn in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama, and will open their tournament account on June 17 against Panama before facing England on June 23 and Croatia on June
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
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