Former Ghana U17 coach Frimpong Manso says he agreed to leave his role with the Black Starlets because it would have been impossible to balance the job with his duties at Bibiani GoldStars.
Manso, who spent seven months scouting and preparing the team for upcoming competitions, was replaced by Prosper Narteh Ogum last week — just a month before the WAFU B U17 Championship in Nigeria.
“If you look at September, all the programmes are in September,” Manso told Joy Sports. “It will not be good not to concentrate on one fully. Rather, if we are to do it anyhow, it will not be good for me, it will not be good for the U17s, and GoldStars as well. So it’s something that we sat down and talked about. For me, I think that is a good decision.”
Manso guided GoldStars to their first-ever Ghana Premier League title last season and is currently preparing them for their debut CAF Champions League campaign, which kicks off in late August. The new domestic league season begins on September 12.
He stressed that his departure was not due to a lack of interest in the national team role. “Not that I didn’t want to be with the U17s. I’m very sure it’s just a matter of time. Maybe something of that sort will come again. That opportunity may come again.”
The former Black Stars defender believes his exit will not disrupt the Starlets’ preparations. “I had two assistants and a goalkeepers’ trainer. They are all there. So I think it will not change anything. Ogum is also a very experienced coach. And for me, I don’t think it will affect anything at all.”
Manso’s tenure ends without taking the team to a major competition, but he leaves confident that the groundwork he laid can still help the Starlets in their bid to qualify for the 2025 U17 Africa Cup of Nations.
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