Former Ghana manager Chris Hughton says the repeated changes in the national team’s dugout are harming the Black Stars as they prepare for two crucial 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Somalia under an interim coach.
Ghana started Group C with consecutive defeats last month, losing 2-0 to Cote d’Ivoire in Bouake before a 4-2 home defeat by The Gambia in Accra.
The results brought an early end to Carlos Queiroz’s second spell in charge. The Ghana Football Association and the Portuguese coach agreed to terminate his contract on October 1.
Kim Bjorkegren, who manages Ghana’s women’s team, has been asked to take charge for the two matches against Somalia. Ghana host the first game in Sekondi on Thursday, November 12, with the return fixture scheduled for Monday, November 16.
Speaking to BBC Sport Africa at the Best of Africa Awards, Hughton said a lack of continuity was damaging to both managers and players.
“When you have inconsistency in the amount of time when a manager is staying, it’s never good,” he said. “You want that consistency in the players [and] the players want that consistency in what they see in the manager.”
Hughton is familiar with the instability within the Ghana set-up. He is one of five coaches to have led the national side in the past six years, alongside Charles Akonnor, Milovan Rajevac, Otto Addo and Queiroz.
The former coach was dismissed in January 2024 after Ghana were eliminated in the group stage of the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire.
He believes frequent dismissals can also influence the players’ attitude towards their manager, creating the expectation that poor results will quickly lead to another change.
“They get into a mindset that if he (the coach) doesn’t do well then he won’t be there,” Hughton said.
Hughton calls for greater investment
The former Ghana manager also highlighted a lack of investment in the country’s football infrastructure and the strength of the competition elsewhere in Africa.
“Many years ago Ghana were at a level that was, if not the best team in Africa, certainly right up there,” he said.
“I think the government needs to do more as regards putting money into the infrastructure.”
Hughton added that Ghana’s domestic game no longer receives the same level of support that once helped produce a steady supply of talented players.
“In Ghana, the local game that used to produce so many good players, the support level is not there,” he said, pointing to poor pitches and declining attendances.
Ghana have not won the AFCON since 1982, although they held England to a goalless draw at the 2026 World Cup before losing 1-0 to Colombia in the last 32.
“What I saw in the World Cup is that they represented the country very well, particularly the England game,” Hughton said.
Queiroz’s qualifying campaign was also affected by withdrawals, with six players originally selected for the squad later pulling out, including Antoine Semenyo and Mohammed Kudus.
However, Hughton does not believe the uncertainty over the coaching position was responsible for those absences.
“Whether that was a reason or not, I don’t know. And I probably don’t think so,” he said.
