Sports
Hughton’s clock ticking (Part 2)
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Chris Hughton
(This is the concluding part of an article published last week)
The latest heartbreak has even called into question Chris Hughton’s (Coach) competence to steer the team to a successful AFCON in January and to also secure Ghana a World Cup qualification berth.
Seriously, fans are witnessing a very porous Black Stars team shipping in more goals than they score.
Surprisingly, the deteriorating performance of the Black Stars is at a period where there seem to be an upsurge of Ghanaian players performing creditably in some of the major leagues around the world.
Mohammed Kudus seem to be fast establishing himself at West Ham United in the English Premier League just like Thomas Partey who is considered a pivot at Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
The contingents from Germany, Spain, Italy and other places are all giving very good accounts of themselves but their performance for the national team has brought the technical team under the spotlight as well as the GFA which has constantly been at the receiving end of accusations of interfering in player selection.
The performance of some of these players do not suggest that they are the best at the disposal of Chris Hughton and his assistants.
If that was so, then Ghana is in deep talent crisis.
With the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers fast approaching, handlers of the team have very little time to negotiate the difficult curves they face in building a formidable team that can restore the fans pride.
Patience is key in building winning teams but the competitive world of football gives credence to the saying that “Time and tide waits for no man” so no country or federation would wait for Ghana’s team building process to take shape.
It was gratifying persuading a few top notch players to switch nationalities in Ghana’s favour.
Through that process, there was a Tariq Lamptey ignoring England to don the Black Stars jersey, Inaki Williams ditching Spain to play for Ghana and others.
But it is taking too much time for them to switch into full gear.
Inaki, for instance, is yet to nail down a place in the Black Stars team. Apart from the inability to bang in the goals like he does for La Liga outfit, Atletico Bilbao with his brother who kept faith with Spain, he is yet to make the top striker position his.
He is not the only foreign based player struggling. Dennis Odoi started competitively but subsequent games did not go well with him. His situation was made worse by an injury that kept him out for a few matches.
Tariq Lamptey still look promising, putting up a couple of inspiring performances for Brighton and Hove Albion in the EPL even in an unfamiliar left full back position but is also yet to shine for the Black Stars.
Other well established performers like Thomas Partey, Abdul Salis Ahmed, Baba Iddrissu, Antoine Semenyo and Kamaldeen Sulemana etc. have become inconsistent with the Black Stars in recent days but have maintained their high standards at their respective clubs, raising concerns about commitment and dedication to the Stars course.
In the same manner the FA did the ‘try your luck’ with them based on the faith the technical handlers had in them, I implore the FA/Technical handlers to also give greater attention to the local players who are ready to offer that sacrifice, commitment and dedication lacking in the game of the foreign ‘angels.’
Even if it backfires, we should be ready to go again, after all, we have been with the overly pampered and motivated elites who we devote a chunk of resources on and get little or nothing to show for.
Until that bridge was crossed, the grumblings, cantankerousness and blame game would continue.
By Andrew Nortey
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 would go into the annals of Ghana football as one of the darkest days for the Black Stars.
In an AFCON 2027 qualifier against The Gambia, the Black Stars did not only break the hearts of the fans, but conceded a defeat that left followers with sleepless nights.
Coming from a Matchday 1 defeat to the Elephants of La Cote d’Ivoire in Bouake, the outcome of the second game against The Gambia was one that was non-negotiable.
It had the ability to spark a revival to contend for one of the slots for the next AFCON showpiece.
The Gambia is a formidable side but definitely, not one to have frustrated Ghanaians to watch in pain and awe the Black Stars lose a game from a winning position.
That is a possibility in the game of football but when the stakes are high in such cases, it becomes unacceptable to the fans.
And grievously has Carlos Queiroz answered the massive call for his resignation.
At his post-match press conference, he made it clear that bowing out was the easiest decision but insisted that would not solve the myriad problems facing the Black Stars.
For the coach to be fired two days after that declaration raises a lot of concerns as he seem to be aware of existing problems the FA may even not know.
Unfortunately, coaches over the years have always been sacrificial lambs in situations of this nature but when he talks about particular problems affecting the team, his sack leaves much to be desired.
That aside, it is important to also take another look at the country’s pool of players, both local and foreign based.
Some of us have been advocates for forming the Black Stars around the ever-present local players who may lack the skill, finesse and flamboyance believed to give the foreign based players the edge over their local counterparts.
The locals, however, compensate that with their commitment and dedication.
Sadly, it appears this consistent call have fallen on deaf ears and no one wants to give any attention to that.
If the fear is that results would be poor, then that would be no excuse again following outcomes of the Stars in their last two games.
From what was witnessed in Bouake and Accra, one can confidently boast that there isn’t much difference between the foreign based players and the locals.
If there is any, it would probably be the treatment given to the two sets of players.
The call on the FA now is to give major consideration to the local players. Any coach that sees no good in the local players must have no business handling the national team.
That does not also shut the door on the ‘foreigners’. We witnessed how the early 90s teams were beautifully blended to have a formidable team.
It is time the FA goes back to the basics. With the locals, there can be more camps, leading to improved cohesion. Any foreign based player invited must settle into the team quickly and make a difference. That is the only way to rescue the Black Stars from its free fall.
By Andrew Nortey
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Manchester City Football Club has lodged a comprehensive appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission in relation to its long-running disciplinary case.
In a statement on Thursday, October 1, 2026, the Club confirmed that the appeal was filed at 7pm.
“The Club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe,” the statement said.
City maintained its innocence, stressing that a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all its positions relating to the case.
“We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete,” the Club added.
The appeal sets the stage for the next phase of the legal battle between the Premier League champions and the league over alleged breaches of financial rules, which the club has consistently denied.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
