"Kim Lars Björkegren must take the Black Queens a step higher"- Ibrahim Sannie Daara

Former Communications Director  at the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Ibrahim Sannie Daara, has called on Black Queens coach Lars Kim Bjorkegren to build on the solid foundation established by his predecessor and current Zambia head women's head coach Nora Hauptle.

The Swiss coach took over from Hauptle, who did refused to extend her contract after a two-year stint. Despite a patchy start to the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, Bjorkegren has successfully guided the Black Queens into the tournament’s semi finals for the first time in close to two decades

Speaking to Citi Sports following Ghana’s dramatic 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Algeria, Sannie Daara emphasized that while Bjorkegren is still relatively new in his role, expectations for results are high.
"Nora had two years and more in the position, so that gave her the opportunity to make mistakes and correct them,” he said.

"Kim has not been in the position for that long, but he must also realize that if Nora lifted the team up and brought it to this level, we only expect him to take it a notch higher."

Now a senior official at the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Sannie Daara acknowledged the ongoing transition under Bjorkegren's leadership, highlighting the unique perspective Hauptle brought as a female coach.
"There were a lot of advantages that came with Nora being in the position. Number one: she’s a female, so she would understand certain nuances that Kim might not even know or understand.

"So that gives Nora the edge. And I would say it would be too difficult to judge Kim at this point," he added.

The Black Queens are set to face Morocco on Tuesday at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, with kickoff scheduled for 19:00 GMT