Ghana’s senior women’s national team midfielder, Jennifer Cudjoe, has noted that the impact of former head coach, Nora Hauptle on the team cannot be underestimated.

Hauptle left her role as head coach of the Black Queend after failing to extend her contract with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) after two years on the job. She qualified the Black Queens for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) inMorocco.

The Swiss trainer subsequently joined the Copper Queens of Zambia as the head coach, leading them to the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Speaking on TV3, Cudjoe reflected on Hauptle’s influence and described her as the best coach she has worked with and admitted that her exit became a tough situation for the team.

“As a player, you go through different types of coaching, and you have a different bond with coaches. Every coach makes an impact on your life, so she definitely made an impact on my life and the rest of the players. It was tough, but we still had to find a way to keep working and focusing on the goals,” she said.

“Being a Black Queens player, it was tough. She was one of the best coaches we had. She changed the game for us—the way she managed players and how we played. But I also think it was time for her to go. She went, but she’s still one of the coaches I loved playing under.”

The former Nordsjaelland midfielder was also swift to commend the works of new head coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren, who led the Black Queens to a bronze medal at the just concluded 2024 WAFCON.

“Now we have a new coach who’s also doing a whole lot of work to change our game. It was tough for sure, but as players, you have to find ways to move on,” she noted.