Former Black Stars defender Mohammed Gargo is calling for a complete overhaul of the Black Stars’ technical team.
He argued that dismissing only the two assistant coaches, John Paintsil and Moroccan-German Joseph Laumann, would not result in any significant change. According to Gargo, a more comprehensive restructuring is necessary to address the team’s issues effectively.
The two assistants and Coach Otto Addo, less than a year into their respective roles, have the unwanted record of failing to qualify Ghana for this year’s AFCON—a stain that now hangs heavily on their CVs.
Sources indicate that the GFA is in talks with a Belgian and a Serbian to replace them, though their identities remain undisclosed.
Speaking exclusively to Citi Sports on Thursday, January 16, 2025, Mohammed Gargo expressed his opinion that dismissing the two assistant coaches, John Paintsil and Joseph Laumann, is irrelevant.
He argued that focusing solely on the assistants does little to address the broader issues facing the Black Stars’ technical team, calling for a more comprehensive approach to resolving the challenges.
Whenever a team or any football team wants to dismiss the technical team.
I think it starts from the head coach, because you are so responsible for what is happening.
You give instructions to your assistants for them to carry on the business of the day.
It being the training session, it being the preparation and otherwise.
So I think if that is going to happen, then the entire technical team must go so they can bring in a new technical team who probably can do better, but not sack the assistants and leave the head coach.
Because as I’m saying, in some of his post-match interviews, he took responsibility for everything that happened.
It remains uncertain whether the Ghana Football Association (GFA) will dismiss the two assistant coaches before the next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Ghana is scheduled to face Chad and Madagascar between March 17 and 25, 2025, in crucial fixtures that could shape their path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
