Ghana should withdraw from 2027 AFCON – Kojo Addae Mensah

Football analyst Kojo Addae Mensah has proposed that Ghana should reconsider participating in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, citing the short timeframe for appointing a new head coach and the financial implications of the move. His comments follow Carlos Queiroz's resignation, with Ghana's next match against Somalia set for November 11, leaving the Ghana Football Association (GFA) six weeks to find a replacement and prepare the team.

A five-member search committee has been tasked with identifying and recommending a suitable coach. Addae Mensah voiced concerns over the practicality of the process, emphasizing the potential difficulties in finding a coach already under contract with another team or nation who would require a notice period. Additionally, he highlighted the financial considerations that could sway the final decision.

"From what has come out, it was not crucial. We have sacked the coach. We are playing a game on 11th November. So we have six weeks to a game... Then everybody talks about the next coach without talking about the budget. But there's always the money thing that also pulls people back," he remarked. The analyst also questioned the limited time the incoming coach would have to work with the players before Ghana's upcoming fixture against Somalia.

"Coach will come in, let’s say, end of October or last but one week of October. Coach has arrived, but he has arrived. He has already have the team with him. Whoever the coach is, he is going to have barely one week with the team, and we go into the Somalia game," he asserted. As a result, Kojo Addae Mensah suggested an extreme alternative — having Ghana withdraw from the 2027 AFCON due to the lack of a realistic qualification chance.

"My extreme suggestion was that we should even pull out of the whole AFCON," he declared. The Black Stars have failed to win any matches so far, suffering losses to Gambia and Ivory Coast, placing them at the bottom of Group C.