United States — Ghana’s Football Association faces a choice after the Black Stars were eliminated by Colombia in the World Cup knockout stage: extend head coach Carlos Queiroz beyond the short-term contract he reportedly signed for the North American campaign, or open a fresh search. Local media reported Queiroz’s deal was always brief, leaving the federation to decide how to proceed.
Four months ago the national side were described as being in disarray, and Otto Addo was relieved after heavy friendly defeats by Austria (5-1) and Germany (2-1) in March prompted an end to his tenure, according to ESPN.
The federation turned to Carlos Queiroz, a 73-year-old former Manchester United mentor with a mixed record at Egypt, Iran, Colombia and Portugal. ESPN noted he brought organisation and experience but that he had never worked in West Africa, had shown little previous affinity for African football and favoured a defensive style that did not obviously align with Ghana’s historical approach.
Queiroz exceeded expectations during the group stage, with Ghana advancing after beating Panama and drawing with England. ESPN reported Ghana were among four teams not to concede in their opening two matches and reached their first knockout game in 16 years. Players adapted quickly to his methods, with Jordan Ayew telling ESPN that the squad began implementing Queiroz’s instructions within weeks and that the changes were effective for a time.
The knockout defeat to Colombia, however, raised fresh questions. According to ESPN, Ghana failed to produce a single shot on target; Colombia capitalised after an injury to right back Marvin Senaya and a goal arrived one minute after Alidu Seidu entered as a substitute. ESPN described the performance as lacking intensity, urgency and precision in the final third, and said the visitors controlled the remainder of the match. The federation must now judge whether the progress shown over the group stage justifies a longer-term appointment.
