By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi & Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada
October 2, 2026
Ghana’s worsening football crisis has triggered an emergency meeting between the Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, and the leadership of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), following the Black Stars’ difficult start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.
The meeting, held on Friday, October 2, brought together Adams, GFA President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku and members of the GFA Executive Council to discuss the state of the national team and broader concerns surrounding Ghanaian football.
The meeting came less than 24 hours after the GFA and Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz mutually agreed to end their working relationship.
The Black Stars entered the 2027 AFCON qualifiers with high expectations but suffered consecutive defeats — a 2-0 loss to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké followed by a 4-2 defeat to The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The results left Ghana without a point from its opening two Group C matches and intensified public scrutiny of both the national team and the country’s football administration.
Why the Sports Minister called the meeting
Citi Sports initially reported that Adams had summoned the GFA leadership to provide answers over the Black Stars’ performances and to discuss the broader challenges facing Ghana football.
The meeting was not limited to the departure of Queiroz. According to the report, the discussions were expected to examine the state of the national team, the management of Ghana football and the steps required to prevent another disappointing qualification campaign.
The timing was particularly significant because Ghana had only recently parted company with Queiroz.
The Portuguese coach returned for a second spell with the Black Stars after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the GFA announcing in September that he would lead the team into the next phase of its programme.
However, that arrangement lasted only a short time.
Following the defeats to Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia, Queiroz and the GFA agreed to terminate his contract. In his farewell message, the coach said the necessary conditions for the team to succeed had not been fully established and that recent performances contributed to the decision.
Ghana’s difficult start to the AFCON campaign
The Black Stars’ immediate problem is their position in Group C.
Ghana lost 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire in the opening match before suffering a dramatic 4-2 defeat against The Gambia.
Against The Gambia, Ghana took a two-goal lead but failed to maintain control of the match and eventually conceded four goals.
The two defeats mean Ghana have no points from their first two matches, while Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia have each collected six points, according to current reporting.
The Black Stars are therefore facing an early challenge in their attempt to qualify for the 2027 tournament, which will be hosted jointly by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The team is scheduled to face Somalia in a double-header in October as it attempts to recover from the poor opening results.
Queiroz’s departure adds to the uncertainty
The coaching situation has become one of the most immediate issues facing the GFA.
Queiroz was appointed earlier in 2026 and subsequently returned for another mandate after Ghana’s World Cup campaign.
His departure means Ghana must now begin the search for another head coach while the AFCON qualifying campaign is already underway.
Reuters reported that during his tenure in 2026, Queiroz managed seven matches, recording one victory, two draws and four defeats.
The GFA therefore faces pressure to identify a new technical direction quickly while also addressing questions about how the national team is managed.
Government to have a role in the search for the next coach
One of the key developments from Friday’s meeting is the planned establishment of a technical search committee for the next Black Stars coach.
Three representatives from government are expected to serve on the committee alongside representatives of the football administration.
The arrangement gives the Sports Ministry a more direct role in the process of identifying and assessing potential candidates for the vacant coaching position.
The government’s involvement is partly linked to its financial support for Ghana’s national teams.
The GFA will nevertheless retain its role as the country’s football governing body and will remain involved in the formal process.
The development is significant because the appointment of national-team coaches has traditionally been handled within the structures of the football association, although government representatives have participated in previous technical search committees.
Government rules out dissolving the GFA
The meeting also came amid growing calls from some football stakeholders and members of the public for major changes to the GFA, including demands for the association itself to be dissolved.
Adams has rejected that possibility.
The Sports Minister has explained that the government does not have the authority to simply dissolve the GFA because it is a legally registered football association.
Instead, the government intends to work through existing structures while seeking greater accountability in the management of the national teams.
This distinction is important because criticism of the GFA’s performance does not automatically give the government the power to remove or dissolve the association.
The Ministry’s current approach is therefore focused on the national teams and mechanisms for public accountability rather than taking over the GFA.
Growing calls for wider football reforms
The Black Stars crisis has also generated calls for changes that go beyond appointing another coach.
The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has called for a comprehensive overhaul of Ghana football following the team’s recent results.
SWAG has argued that repeatedly changing coaches has not addressed the deeper issues affecting the national teams and has called for stronger technical and administrative structures.
The association also called for greater emphasis on competence and technical expertise in football administration and advocated reforms to domestic football development.
Parliamentary scrutiny has also emerged.
Ernest Henry Norgbey, Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Sports, has argued that changing coaches alone would not address the underlying problems and has called for reforms to the GFA’s governance structure.
These positions illustrate that the current debate is no longer solely about who should coach the Black Stars.
It increasingly involves questions about administration, player development, technical planning, financing and the relationship between the government and the GFA.
Ghana’s recent AFCON history adds pressure
The current crisis is particularly sensitive because Ghana failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
That failure ended the Black Stars’ run of appearances at the continental tournament stretching back more than two decades.
The possibility of missing another AFCON tournament has therefore intensified concern among supporters and football stakeholders.
With four qualifying matches still to play, Ghana has an opportunity to improve its position, but the team must now address both its technical situation and its results.
What happens next
The immediate priority for the GFA and Sports Ministry is the appointment of a new Black Stars coach.
The proposed technical search committee will now be expected to identify and assess candidates for the vacant position.
The government representatives’ participation means the process will involve closer coordination between the Ministry and the GFA than in recent periods.
At the same time, the football authorities must prepare the Black Stars for their upcoming matches against Somalia.
Beyond the coaching appointment, the discussions surrounding Ghana football are likely to continue.
The government has indicated that it does not intend to dissolve the GFA, while calls from sections of the football community for deeper reforms remain.
For the Black Stars, however, the immediate challenge is clear: recover from the opening defeats, establish a new technical direction and keep the 2027 AFCON qualification campaign alive.
The outcome of the coming months will provide a clearer indication of whether the latest intervention produces changes in the national-team structure and administration or remains focused primarily on finding a replacement for Carlos Queiroz.
