ACCRA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Ghana Football Association (GFA) will announce a replacement for dismissed coach Otto Addo in the coming days, with more than 600 local and foreign applicants expressing interest in the role, GFA president Kurt Okraku said.
The position became vacant after the GFA parted ways with Addo following a series of poor results, including back-to-back defeats to Austria and Germany in pre-World Cup friendlies, prompting a late-night decision in Stuttgart on Monday.
Addo led the Black Stars to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and later guided the team to qualification for this year's tournament.
Okraku said the volume of applications underlined the appeal of one of Africa's top national team jobs.
The GFA is expected to begin a screening process to shortlist candidates for interview, with less than three months remaining before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A new coach could be appointed within one to two weeks, Okraku said, as the association looks to avoid delays in its preparations.
The appointment is seen as critical, with the GFA seeking a coach capable of delivering immediate results while shaping the long-term direction of the team.
"We are quite clear on the kind of quality we need for the Black Stars. If you've been very close to this team, you know the kind of manager to hire for this team," he said.
"Our job is to make sure that we are very clear on who we want and the kind of quality we want to bring in, knowing very well the kind of intangible assets we have in that changing room," he added.
Okraku said the association's executive committee will meet in the coming days to accelerate the search.
"We will be meeting as an executive committee in the next few days, and we will accelerate the search for a new trainer for Ghana," he said.
Ghana is scheduled to face Mexico on May 22 and Wales on June 2 before the World Cup, where it will compete in Group L alongside Panama, Croatia and England. ■
