Ghana football legend George Alhassan has sharply criticized the assistant coaches of the Black Stars, claiming they failed to adequately support head coach Otto Addo during the team’s disappointing campaign in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

Ghana's failure to qualify for the tournament for the first time in 20 years has sparked widespread criticism.

The Black Stars finished bottom of Group F, earning just three points from three draws and three defeats.

Reflecting on the team's underperformance, Alhassan, a 1982 AFCON winner with Ghana, placed much of the blame on the assistant coaches, accusing them of not contributing enough to the coaching process.

“They should have done better because I don’t see that they are helping the coach himself. I don’t see anything that shows that they are helping the coach," Alhassan told Citi Sports.

"If you are a coach and you have a technical team, you work together with them. Or maybe they are afraid to suggest to the coach.

Maybe, everything is the coach so they also sit and watch him, but if they worked together, I don’t think things like this would have happened."

The Black Stars' assistant coaching team consists of John Paintsil (first assistant coach), Joseph Laumann (second assistant coach), and Fatawu Dauda (goalkeeper's trainer).

Despite the team's failure to qualify, reports indicate that Otto Addo will remain in charge of the Black Stars.

However, changes to the backroom staff are expected, as the performance of the technical team, including the assistants, has come under scrutiny following the disappointing campaign.