The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to dissolve the Black Stars technical team as part of a broader set of measures agreed during a crucial meeting on Friday, October 2.
The directive followed a meeting between Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams and the leadership of the GFA, led by President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, to discuss the current state of Ghana football and the Black Stars.
The meeting was convened after Ghana suffered consecutive defeats in the opening two matches of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, losing 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire before a 4-2 home defeat to The Gambia. The results have left Ghana without a point in Group C.
The latest proposals come shortly after the GFA and Carlos Queiroz mutually agreed to terminate the Portuguese coach’s contract. Queiroz had been appointed to lead Ghana after Otto Addo’s departure and was tasked with guiding the Black Stars through the next phase of their programme.
The meeting therefore focused not only on the immediate coaching vacancy but also on the broader structure through which Ghana’s national teams are managed.
According to the directives emerging from the meeting, the existing Black Stars technical team and all national team management committees are to be dissolved.
The Ministry has also directed the establishment of a National Technical Management Committee comprising two government-appointed experts and two representatives nominated by the GFA.
The new arrangement means the GFA is not expected to appoint the next Black Stars head coach on its own, with the proposed technical management committee set to be involved in the process.
Government Seeks Greater Role in Football Management
The directives represent a significant push for greater government involvement in decisions concerning Ghana’s national teams while stopping short of dissolving the GFA itself.
Earlier on Friday, Hon. Adams stated that government does not have the authority to dissolve the GFA because it is a registered association.
Under the new proposals, the existing national team management committees will be replaced by two committees, one responsible for the men’s national teams and another for the women’s national teams. All the various national teams both men and women had separate management committees.
The Ministry has also called for the restoration of state-provided accommodation for the head coach of the senior national team.
Previous head coaches have always stayed in hotels without a permanent residence and this practice keeps the coaches out of the country until they have to return for national assignments.
Another major component concerns Ghana’s youth national teams. The government wants the national youth team structure consolidated into a clear pathway, with the Ministry participating in the selection and development of coaches for the U15, U17 and U20 teams.
The proposed structure is intended to create a more coordinated progression between the various youth levels rather than treating the teams as separate programmes.
Joint Decision-Making Agreement Proposed
The seventh directive calls for the GFA and the Sports Ministry to conclude and sign a standard FIFA cooperation agreement designed to formalise joint decision-making between the two institutions.
This would provide a framework for the increased collaboration being sought by the Ministry while maintaining the GFA’s role as football’s governing body without FIFA sanctions.
The push for structural changes comes after Ghana missed the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and has now opened its 2027 qualifying campaign with two defeats. The Black Stars have four qualifying matches remaining in Group C to revive their campaign and will face Somalia in back to back games in November.
The GFA will now have to work within the framework agreed with the Ministry as it begins preparations for the next stage of the AFCON qualifying campaign and the search for a successor to Queiroz.
The seven directives also shift the immediate focus beyond simply finding another coach, placing greater emphasis on how Ghana’s national teams are managed, how technical decisions are made and how the country’s men’s and women’s football pathways are structured.
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