President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku has denied reports that he was personally vengeful against Chris Hughton, the former coach of the Black Stars, who was fired following Ghana’s poor performance at the 2023 AFCON.
At a Meet the Press event on Wednesday in Kumasi, Okraku spoke to the media and made it clear that the performance of the Ghanaian national team, not individual relationships, is his main priority.
“I don’t hate anyone! I want to be successful. I demand performance from coaches, I want to see a team perform well and win games. This is what I demand from every coach that works for us!” Okraku stated emphatically.
The GFA President also underlined the significance of putting into practice successful tactics to raise the national team’s performance, pointing out the necessity of an all-encompassing strategy that includes participation, idea-sharing, feedback, and implementation.
“I want to see our Black Stars and all our national teams play good football and win games, including all local clubs,” Okraku expressed passionately.
“How can this be achieved? It starts with the process we are undertaking today – engaging and sharing ideas, getting feedback, and ensuring that we are ready to implement the necessary strategies to bring back the love for football.”
Okraku’s remarks are in response to Ghana’s underwhelming performance in the AFCON 2023, as the squad was unable to go past the group stage.
The Black Stars drew 2-2 with Egypt and Mozambique and fell 2-1 to Cape Verde in their debut game.