Otto Addo should be sacked, not his assistants – Mohammed Gargo

Former Black Stars defender Mohammed Gargo has called for the dismissal of Ghana’s head coach, Otto Addo, following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Gargo argues that Addo, not his assistants, should take responsibility for the historic failure.

His comments come amid reports that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) is considering sacking assistant coaches Joseph Laumann and John Paintsil while retaining Addo.

Under Addo’s leadership, the Black Stars failed to qualify for the AFCON for the first time in 21 years, finishing the qualification campaign without a single win in six matches, which concluded in November 2024.

“Whenever a team or any football team wants to dismiss the technical team. I think it starts from the head coach, because you are so responsible for what is happening,” he told Citi Sports.

“You give instructions to your assistants for them to carry on the business of the day. It being the training session, it being the preparation and otherwise.

“So I think if that is going to happen, then the entire technical team must go so they can bring in a new technical team who probably can do better, but not sack the assistants and leave the head coach.

“Because as I’m saying, in some of his post-match interviews, he took responsibility for everything that happened.”

It is understood that the GFA will appoint two new assistant coaches for Otto Addo ahead of the crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers coming in March.