Otto Addo is Black Stars’ head coach
Former Ghana national team psychologist Dr Patrick Ofori has publicly defended head coach Otto Addo against recent criticism, calling the attacks unfair and overly simplistic.
Speaking to Citi Sports, Dr Ofori argued that the challenges facing the Black Stars are a collective responsibility and cannot be placed solely on the head coach.
“If you look at it, unfortunately in our part of the world, even when you have a management committee, people bypass the management and go straight to blame the coach,” Dr Ofori said. He stressed that modern football demands a strong technical support system around the manager.
Dr. Ofori gave credit to Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku for recognising and addressing past shortcomings in the technical structure.
“When they realised that they failed in their appointment of other technical staff, which led to our inability to qualify for AFCON, they quickly reassembled the team around them,” he explained. This, he argued, is proof that blaming only the coach is misguided.
The psychologist also called for further reinforcements to the Black Stars’ backroom staff, noting the increasing specialisation required at the highest levels of the game. “I still think they may need to beef it up because football has evolved. There are teams that have analysts whose sole job is to study opposing defenders: their concentration levels, behaviour and patterns,” Dr Ofori stated.
His comments come as the GFA strengthens its technical team ahead of Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Dr Ofori believes that a more robust support structure will not only reduce the burden on head coach Otto Addo but also significantly enhance the team’s competitiveness on the global stage.
