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Every word from Otto Addo’s post-Angola press conference
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There was plenty to discuss in Otto Addo’s post-match press conference on Thursday. The discussion was dominated by factors that led to the loss to Angola, missed chances and the quality of the Baba Yara pitch.
The boss was also asked about the game in general, lessons learnt from the game, and plan for the remaining matches. Here is a full transcript…………….
On his thoughts on the game
First of all congratulations to Angola – they did well, they changed the tactical formations. We saw it before the game, they started with three central defenders so we knew they will play differently. They took a high risk pressing us very, very higher. I think you could see that their energy in the first half, they lost a little bit of power. We still created chances because they played in the last line – one against one. Sometimes it was just one against one defender, sometimes it was Antoine, Jordan, and Fataw, three against three and yeah, surely there we could have done more. In the second half, I think we took control. We controlled the game, we created a lot of chances, or even half chances where I think we have to try and take faster decisions to shoot earlier a little bit. I like that they play like a team, but sometimes a little bit more egoistic in shooting will be good. The goalkeeper did well. Congratulations to the goalkeeper, he saved some really good goals and at the end, I mean at least, I think we deserve the point at least. It was a little bit unlucky and yeah, you can just hope that I don’t like to do this, but on this pitch, to be honest, the guys did really well. In a second half, to control the game, they did it. You have to work on the pitch to get better, because it’s very difficult. And then mistakes can happen.
On losing at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium for the first time in 24 years
I does not feel good.
On lesson from defeat
Surely, we have to be more clinical. I saw a lot of situations where we could have shot earlier, we should have been a little bit more egoistic. Even though I don’t like if a player has a better position and you don’t give him the ball, I don’t like it. But this game, I think there was a lot of situations where we could have taken shots and we passed to the next one, passed to the next one. Also, I think the players that did that all, they tried everything, we control the match and this is also football. I was a player myself. I had bad games when we won and sometimes you play good and you lose. This is football.
On late changes
I know that if I would have changed earlier, people would have said, why did you change. Whatever you do, I know when you lose, you’re the bad guy. But I take it. After the game, everybody knows more and maybe we could have done better in changing. I’ll think about it I’ll take it home and think about it but like I said the second half to be honest was really, really good. We had the right positions. In the first half we had some problems, I talked with Alidu Seidu, he was too high so he had to come back. We took better positions in between the lines and the player played well. We break them down to the half and we didn’t allow too many counter situations even though there were some which were also dangerous and yeah, like I said, football is sometimes like that. We were lucky maybe a little bit even though we deserved to win in Mali. But there we scored a goal and won and today Angola scored a goal. Bit I can just repeat myself, I think at least a draw would have been deserved.
Problems in the heart of defense and midfield
No, because the quality is there. I think even though we lost I saw that the quality is there, Mumin was unlucky that he couldn’t clear the ball at the end but he made some mistakes before so it’s not only him. The grass is also not that good but besides that he made a really, really good game and sent a lot of good balls in between the line, won a lot of duels so you know they’re young boys and I know they will develop and surely we will have to learn all of this to be more clinical and at least to get a point at least out of this match.
On the pitch
Bumpy, the height and all wasn’t good enough
Absence of key players in Central defense and its effect
Do you think you have a major problem in defence. But surely we lost today 1-0. And we have to look also not only at the goal but also on the chances we allowed. But I said it I think the last time against the Central African Republic. It depends on the start and the back line. Sometimes it’s more also the midfield, sometimes it’s the front, the way we are pressed, the way we attack, we don’t have to allow them to play clear balls into the last line and we have to avoid these situations where they have a one-on-one situation at the box and so we have to be more compact, we have to work on that I know it was not easy, the players all played in Europe mostly and we’re tired but the same for Angola and today I think they were lucky at the end but yeah like I said we have to learn out of it there’s a lot of things to learn in a lot of situation and just to be clear I don’t want to blame this loss on the pitch even though it was not good but against Central African Republic it was also not good and we won so we have to do better this year.
On Angola switching tactics before and during the game
I mean we took different positions when we saw that they played the five back. I think like I said we did quite well Angolans taking high risk in the first half as they pressed us and this allowed us to have a situation where we had one of one runs We didn’t use them well, the last pass, the last shot was not clinical enough. And in the second half I think we controlled them but we were a little bit unlucky to concede the goal.
I can’t really say much bad things about the second half, just like we have to score. In football sometimes it’s like that, if you don’t score, sometimes at the end you get punished but we are still in the race despite the defeat.
On positives going into the next game against Niger
The second half makes me very confident. The good thing is that it’s all still in our own hands. We play against all the other teams in our group and it’s all in our hands. We will not depend on anybody to qualify, at the moment and this is the good thing, this is a positive thing and I guess like it has been said there’s a lot of positive things to be taken out of the second half but surely at least we should draw this game and we have to learn to be more clinical, to make earlier shots and to be a little bit more egoistic it’s a thin line because I don’t want them to be too egoistic. But we have to get out of this and we will discuss the game tomorrow morning. I will show them a lot of clips and hopefully we will learn for the next match.
With the World Cup fever gradually dying down, attention would switch to other equally important competitions from now to the latter parts of the year.
Barely a week after the global football showpiece that saw Spain upstaged Argentina as World Champions, over 70 countries gathered in Glasgow, Scotland for the Commonwealth Games that is attracting hundreds of athletes from the Commonwealth community.
Equally, 16 top female national teams in Africa would commence competition for the bragging rights as African champions when the delayed Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 kicks off in Morocco tomorrow.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria are usually considered favourites for this showpiece, having shown the strength and character to dominate the game on the continent.
As defending champions, they come in strongly again, expected to face a more difficult sides like the Black Queens of Ghana, Zambia and Morocco who have been touted as possible teams to cause an upset.
Of the 16 qualified teams, nine featured at the previous edition held in 2024.
Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tunisia, who qualified in 2024, missed out this time, while Cape Verde and Malawi will make their first appearance in the tournament.
Today, The Spectator Sports takes a look at some of the teams expected to rub shoulders with the big guns in the female game.
Cameroon
After missing the previous edition, Cameroon returns to the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 determined to re-establish themselves among Africa’s elite.
The Indomitable Lionesses, one of the continent’s most successful women’s national teams, secured a place at the expanded 16-team tournament after receiving a second chance through CAF’s revised qualification system.
Now, under newly appointed head coach Valentine Nguele and inspired by emerging midfield star Naomi Eto, Cameroon will be aiming not only to reclaim their place among Africa’s leading nations but also to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Cameroon boasts one of the richest histories in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The Indomitable Lionesses have reached the final on three occasions—in 2004, 2014 and 2016—but are still searching for their first continental title.
Their consistency has also been reflected in three third-place finishes in 2002, 2012 and 2018, giving Cameroon six podium finishes overall.
Only Nigeria and South Africa have accumulated more top-three finishes in the history of the competition, underlining Cameroon’s long-standing status among Africa’s leading women’s football nations.
Zambia
After finishing third in 2022 and falling short of expectations at the 2024 edition, Zambia head to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 determined to establish themselves among Africa’s elite.
With one of the continent’s most feared attacking units and new head coach Nora Häuptle at the helm, the Copper Queens will be aiming to lift the Women’s AFCON trophy for the first time.
Barbra Banda remains one of the biggest names in African women’s football.
The Orlando Pride striker has established herself among the leading forwards in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and returns to international competition after recovering from a hip injury suffered late last year.
Powerful, direct and clinical in front of goal, Banda will once again spearhead Zambia’s attack as the Copper Queens pursue their first continental title.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (Stallions Ladies) return to the competition determined to make history after missing the 2024 edition. Encouraged by an impressive qualifying campaign, the Stallions Ladies head to Morocco aiming to progress beyond the group stage for the first time.
Burkina Faso secured qualification with convincing victories over Burundi and Togo.
The Stallions Ladies defeated Burundi 5-1 on aggregate, following a commanding 4-1 first-leg victory before completing the job with a 1-0 win in the return fixture.
They carried that momentum into the final qualifying round against Togo, winning 2-0 in the first leg before sealing qualification with another 1-0 victory to complete a 3-0 aggregate success.
Nigeria
Reigning champions Nigerias head to Morocco 2026 looking to extend their remarkable record in the competition. With 10 continental titles to their name, the Super Falcons remain the most successful team in the tournament’s history..
Led by Captain Rasheedat Ajibade and head coach Justine Madugu, Nigeria once again begin the competition among the favourites.
Nigeria secured qualification to Morocco 2026 by defeating Benin 3-1 on aggregate in the second round of qualifying.
Having received a bye in the opening round, the Super Falcons took control of the tie with a 2-0 away victory in Cotonou.
They completed the job in Abeokuta, drawing 1-1 in the second leg after Ashleigh Plumptre opened the scoring before Benin equalised through Yasmine Djibril.
The result ensured another successful qualification campaign for the reigning African champions.
Cote d’Ivoire
After a 12-year absence from Africa’s biggest women’s football competition, Côte d’Ivoire returns to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations aiming to re-establish themselves among the continent’s leading nations.
The Elephants secured an unexpected route back to the finals following the expansion of the tournament from 12 to 16 teams.
Now guided by experienced French coach Reynald Pedros and inspired by prolific striker Habibou Ouedraogo, Côte d’Ivoire believe they have the talent to challenge Africa’s established powers once again.
The Elephants were knocked out in the final qualifying round after a fiercely contested tie against Senegal. Neither side managed to score across the two legs, with Senegal eventually prevailing 5-4 on penalties to deny the Ivorians automatic qualification.
Following the expansion of the Women’s AFCON from 12 to 16 participating teams, CAF allocated the additional places based on the FIFA Women’s World Ranking.
⚽ Group A: Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Kenya,
⚽ Group B: South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Tanzania
⚽ Group C: Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt, Malawi
⚽ Group D: Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Cape Verde
By Andrew Nortey
Days before the Black Stars exit from the World Cup, the national team jersey was the hottest item in Ghana and markets in Tamale.
Today, they swings on trees, while song hang motionless in frontage of shops and roadside stalls, due to Ghana’s painful exit from the championship.
The excitement that once gripped football fans across the country has suddenly given way to disappointment, leaving hundreds of traders with unsold Black Stars jerseys that many had hoped would ‘disappear’ before the tournament ended.
From the Central Market to Aboabo, Lamashegu, the hospital road pavement and other busy commercial centres in Tamale, retailers who had enjoyed brisk business during Ghana’s World Cup campaign now sit quietly beside stacks of jerseys, waiting for buyers who may never come.
“Business was booming when the Black Stars was in the tournament,” said Ibrahim Abdulai, a jersey dealer in Tamale.
“Every match day brought more customers. Some people even bought different jerseys after every match because they believed Ghana would go far.”
According to him, demand rose so sharply that prices nearly tripled as optimism swept across the country.
“A jersey that was selling for GH¢90 suddenly jumped to between GH¢200 and GH¢500 depending on the quality. The authentic replica jersey was the most sought-after and customers were willing to pay almost any price for them,” he explained.
The majority flooding the local markets were replicas of varying quality, imported quickly from Togo to meet growing demand.
For many buyers, authenticity didn’t matter, it was the show of support for the national team.
Some male fans were compelled to buy different customised jerseys for their girlfriends. A man spent GH¢1,850 on jerseys just to wow his girlfriend; so did many men. We hardly saw ladies buying the jerseys.
“I bought four different jerseys,” admitted 31-year-old football enthusiast, Richard.
“I wanted a different one for every important match. Football is about passion. When Ghana was progressing, everybody wanted to be part of the excitement.”
The World Cup frenzy created a temporary economic boom that extended beyond jersey sellers.
Young entrepreneurs offering on-the-spot customisation services worked tirelessly printing names, favourite players’ numbers and personalised messages on jerseys.
Street vendors, mobile hawkers, printers, embroidery operators and small retail businesses all benefited from the surge in demand.
“It wasn’t only the sellers making money,” explained Abdul Karim, who is specialised in jersey customisation.
“People wanted their own names or their favourite players’ names printed immediately. We worked from morning until late at night because the demand was overwhelming,” he added.
For many young people, the tournament provided short-term employment and a valuable source of income.
However, Ghana’s elimination brought the booming business to an abrupt halt.
“Some customers have even returned asking if they could exchange or return the jerseys because Ghana is out,” one trader said with a smile.
“We told them that once you buy it, you own it,” he said.
Others simply walked past the stalls without stopping, something that would have been unimaginable just a few days earlier.
Many traders are now hoping the jerseys will still attract buyers beyond the tournament, arguing that supporting the national team should not depend solely on winning.
Football analysts say the fluctuating demand demonstrates how sporting success influences consumer behaviour and local economies.
As national pride grew during Ghana’s World Cup journey, so did spending.
Every game came with increased confidence, higher demand and rising prices.
But once the dream ended, so did much of the commercial excitement.
The phenomenon reflects what has been witnessed in many football-loving nations around the world.
During successful international tournaments, national team merchandise often experiences unprecedented demand, creating opportunities for retailers, manufacturers and informal sector businesses. Yet the momentum can disappear almost overnight when a team is eliminated.
Karim noted that the unsold jerseys remind us that football brings people together.
“When Ghana was playing, everyone wore the colours with pride. The business may have slowed down, but our support for the Black Stars remains.”
As the World Cup continues without Ghana, the once highly sought-after jerseys remain suspended from tree branches to shop entrances and market stalls across Tamale, a symbol of hopes that soared with every victory but faded with the final whistle.
For now, the jerseys are still hanging.
Perhaps not for another World Cup match, but for another moment when the nation once again rallies behind the Black Stars, and the red, gold and green return to the streets with the same passion that briefly transformed football into business.
From Geoffrey Buta, Tamale
