Critics of Otto Addo is unfair - former Black Stars psychologist
24th January 2026
Former Black Stars psychologist Dr Patrick Ofori has come out strongly in defence of head coach Otto Addo, describing the criticism directed at him after Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as “highly unfair”.
Addo came under intense scrutiny following the Black Stars’ AFCON setback, but the coach has since steadied the ship by leading Ghana to qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Speaking to Citi Sports, Dr Ofori insisted that the challenges faced by the national team should not be placed solely at the feet of the head coach, arguing that modern football demands a strong and well-structured technical team around the manager.
“I think it is highly unfair for anybody to single out the coach and then blame him,” he said.
“If you look at it, unfortunately, in our part of the world, even when you have a management committee, people bypass the management and go straight to blame the coach.”
Dr Ofori pointed to shortcomings within the wider technical setup as a major factor behind Ghana’s AFCON disappointment, stressing that responsibility must be shared.
He also praised the Ghana Football Association (GFA), led by president Kurt Okraku, for acknowledging those gaps and acting swiftly to address them.
“I give credit to Kurt and his team. When they realised that they failed in their appointment of other technical staff, which led to our inability to qualify for AFCON, they quickly reassembled the team around them,” he said.
“So clearly, you couldn’t have blamed only the coach.”
Meanwhile, GFA Communications Director Henry Asante Twum has confirmed that plans are already underway to further strengthen the Black Stars’ technical team ahead of the 2026 World Cup, as Ghana looks to make a strong impression on the global stage.