Majority Leader in Parliament of Ghana and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Honourable Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has come to the defence of Chris Hughton following his dismissal as Black Stars head coach.
The Kurt Okraku-led Ghana Football Association on Tuesday announced the sacking of the former English Premier League manager and the entire technical team of the Black Stars after Ghana’s disappointing performance at the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The parliamentary candidate for Suame constituency in the Ashanti region, Mensah Bonsu, believes that the blame extends beyond the coach’s decisions on the field.
During an interview with Angel FM, the politician expressed his dissatisfaction with the recurring dismissals of Black Stars coaches, highlighting that the constant changes may negatively affect the team’s progress.
“I don’t believe in the sacking of coaches at all. We should have allowed Chris Hughton to work,” he said.
“After our first game against Cape Verde, tactically, we played much better in our second game against Egypt. You don’t blame the defensive errors on the coach. In our final group game against Mozambique, we had a two goal lead until Mozambique equalized both goals in added time. Who caused it?” he quizzed. “You blame the coach?”
Additionally, Mensah Bonsu further poured out his concerns about external influences impacting player selection, pointing out that certain decisions might be beyond the coach’s control.
He claims that the national team can only flourish if the football people leave coaches to do their work rather than exert external influence on coaches’ decisions.
“Constantly removing coaches is not going to help us. Some of the players were deficient. You force the player on the coach, and you don’t want to blame the player; rather, you blame the coach. Between the Ayew brothers, I had more hope in Jordan than Andre because he’s played his part. To me, Andre Ayew has been a fantastic player just like his father was, but at the moment, he is a spent force.”
The four-time African champions have now failed to make it to the knockout stage of the continental showpiece for the second time in a row, having previously suffered early elimination in AFCON 2021 held in Cameroon.
The West African powerhouse drew two games at the Nations Cup, finishing in third place in Group B, behind Cape Verde and Egypt amassing just two points.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Pius Asack|Ghana
