Coach Christopher Nimley’s criticism has become Personal – Lawrence Ati-Zigi

Black Stars goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi has accused his former youth coach, Christopher Nimley, of turning football criticism into a personal campaign, saying repeated public comments about him have gone beyond fair analysis.

The Ghana international was responding to recent remarks by Nimley, who questioned his communication during Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign and suggested it had been a weakness since his early years under his guidance.

Speaking to Sporty FM, Ati-Zigi acknowledged the significant role Nimley played in his development but revealed that their once-close relationship had broken down over time.

“Christopher Nimley has played a big role in my life, and I don’t dispute that. I played in his team when I was young, so I know him. But after some time, we weren’t able to maintain the relationship we had before, and things have been really bad between us,” he said.

Asked whether he was open to reconciling with his former coach, the 29-year-old admitted he was disappointed by the manner in which Nimley had chosen to express his views publicly.

“There are always going to be critics in football, but when you keep talking about someone over and over again, it stops being criticism and becomes a personal problem,” Ati-Zigi said.

He argued that while criticism is an unavoidable part of professional football, it should remain objective and constructive.

“In this particular issue, I feel it’s been personal. When you hear his criticism, it no longer sounds like fair criticism but something personal. It’s like, ‘I don’t care what this person does, I’m just going to talk about him from morning to evening.’”

Ati-Zigi also criticised what he described as an unfair portrayal of his performances, insisting any concerns should have been addressed privately rather than through the media.

“He hasn’t been fair with the way he talks. If there was a problem, he didn’t have to go to the media and create this whole narrative. Sometimes you try not to pay attention to these things, but eventually you hear them, and they get to you. He should find a way to criticise fairly and not make it personal because this is really not cool.”

Despite the controversy, Ati-Zigi enjoyed an impressive FIFA World Cup campaign with Ghana, producing a series of standout performances before an injury temporarily sidelined him. He returned for the Black Stars’ Round of 32 defeat to Colombia, where he was widely praised as Ghana’s best performer despite the team’s exit from the tournament.

Jamaldeen Wiayuka

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