‘I’m very disappointed’ – Otto Addo reflects on Black Stars’ 2025 AFCON qualifying campaign

Black Stars coach Otto Addo has offered his perspective on the team’s underwhelming performance in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

He has urged a balanced view of their efforts while admitting the disappointment among fans.

Ghana finished bottom of their qualifying group, failing to secure a spot in next year’s tournament in Morocco.

Speaking about the campaign, Addo highlighted the nature of football as a results-driven sport, while stressing the need to assess matches beyond outcomes.

“I see things always difficult and different, especially when looking at the matches. It’s a results sport, so at the end, especially those who didn’t watch our matches will call for whatever,” he said.

“But me, from outside, if I look at a football match, I’m not like, if somebody loses, they played badly. I’m not like that. I assess games differently, and sometimes football works that way.”

Despite his analytical approach, Addo admitted to sharing in the collective disappointment. “At the end, I’m very, very disappointed. That’s true, and I can understand everybody who’s disappointed or maybe angry. But it shouldn’t be to a certain extent. It’s disappointing, and at the end, we have to do better,” he added.

The failure to qualify marks a low point for the Black Stars, who had hoped to recover from their group-stage exit at the last two AFCON tournaments.