Otto Addo: I pray for peaceful elections in Ghana

Ghana head coach Otto Addo has said it is his prayer that the country enjoys a peaceful election despite the national team going through turbulent times.

Addo said this following the Black Stars’ surprising home defeat at the hands of Niger in their ultimate 2025 AFCON qualifying match at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Black Stars’ recent struggles went from bad to worse on Monday when they lost 1-2 to Niger. Goals from Ousseini Badamassi and Oumar Sako ensured Jerry Afriyie’s strike would only count as a consolation for the hosts, who ended the qualifiers with zero wins.

Ghana will, therefore, be absent from next year’s tournament in Morocco after finishing at the bottom of a group that contained Angola, Sudan and Niger.

Otto Addo wants peaceful elections despite Black Stars struggles

Speaking to journalists in the aftermath of the game, Otto Addo said he hoped the Black Stars’ poor results would not affect the upcoming general elections, scheduled for December 7.

“I would like us to use this opportunity to pray for peaceful elections. I don’t want this football game to have an effect on this. It’s very, very important. We have a peaceful country; we should leave it like that, no matter the outcomes,” he said.

Meanwhile, Addo was given a rough reception by journalists following Ghana’s shocking defeat to Niger, with one journalist telling him “You’re not a good coach at all.”

In what was a very hostile environment, the 49-year-old was faced with critical questions from all angles.

There was also a heated moment between Addo and Adom FM presenter Kobby Stone, who had questioned the coach’s tactical nous.

The reporter had sought to suggest Addo was more qualified as a scout than a head coach, which led to a pushback from the former Borussia Dortmund trainer.

In trying to defend himself, Addo said: “Twelve years of coaching and six months of scouting. Now I ask you: what am I?”

Kobby Stone, however, replied rather bluntly: “Then I think you’re good at scouting than coaching, because in coaching you’re not good at all!”

Meanwhile, some have described the journalist’s posture as disrespectful, while others believe Addo’s poor record does little to absorb him from that tag.

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