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Hughton needs our full backing to succeed
• Hughton (centre) and some of his Black Stars players
On Monday – March 20, 2023, Chief Coach of the Black Stars – Chris Hughton, was officially unveiled to Ghanaians at the SC Mall in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
The outdooring took place three days ahead of the coach’s first official assignment at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi where he led the Stars to pip Angola 1-0 on a nervy Nations Cup qualifying afternoon.
Many commentaries have been made about the near-dawdling performance in that home game, the first by the Ghana team since their ill-fated World Cup in Qatar 2022.
But whilst many had their eye on the game, others too were concerned about the absence of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss and his deputy during the unveiling of the 64-year-old coach.
“We are utterly surprised not to see the GFA president Kurt Okraku and his vice Mark Addo at the introduction of the coach, and that sends a lot of signals,” was the voice of one of the many fans who called on a radio sports programme.
Even though the GFA Communications Director Henry Asante Tsum was fully represented, the fans think “it was dolefully not enough.”
The impression that is being bandied around is that the FA failed to be around to ‘grace’ the occasion because Hughton was not their choice but that of the government.
It might not exactly be the truth, but the multi-million-dollar question on the lips of Ghanaians is that when was the last time the GFA top brass – right from the halcyon days of Kwesi Nyantakyi, failed to attend the unveiling of a new Black Stars coach?
Some assert that the FA would have loved to have a coach other than Hughton for the Stars’ job – reason for which it opened applications for that purpose. However, following successful negotiations with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the FA – the man who has been in charge of the team since the exit of Otto Addo – was fully endorsed.
Whatever the case, what is needed now is giving Hughton the all-embracing support and backing to succeed. The FA, clearly, must not lose sight of the fact that when Hughton succeeds, the FA succeeds too; when he fails, they fails as well.
Having served as Technical Advisor of the Black Stars through to the Qatar World Cup, the Ghanaian-Irish should have an appreciable amount of knowledge about the players and what could be done to improve on their performance and ultimately revive the dwindling fortunes of Ghana football at the international level.
The performance of the team in their reverse fixture in Luanda against Angola strappingly suggested a brighter future awaits the nation’s football with Hughton in charge.
Unlike what we were getting accustomed to by his predecessors, the coach did not tarry at all and made quick changes when the team was down to a Lucas Joao 50th minute strike.
Nippily – and in order to get the right response, Hughton introduced Joseph Paintsil, Osman Bukari and Inaki Williams for Semenyo and Sulemana, and Mohammed Kudus.
The substitution was scrumptiously deadly as it did not take long for them to make an impact, as Paintsil set up Bukari to rap home a dazzling redeemer.
Painstil, who was strangely overlooked for the Qatar World Cup, nearly snatched a late winner after latching onto a pass from Salis Samed, but his shot was blocked to the relief of the home crowd.
Upshot of the entertaining game left Ghana at the top of Group E – and just a point ahead of second-placed Central African Republic (CAR) who beat Madagascar 2-0.
As things stand now, the Stars need just a win in their next assignment at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi – somewhere in June, to book a place in the Cote d’Ivoire African Cup of Nations tournament.
Slowly but surely, Coach Hughton appears to be on course to building a formidable squad – capable of taking on the rest of the world – and he must be accorded all the needed backing to executing this mission.
By John Vigah
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
