Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Sports Ernest Henry Norgbey says dismissing the Black Stars coach would not address the problems affecting Ghana’s national team.
Norgbey believes the difficulties extend beyond the coaching position, with player selection also requiring scrutiny. He said changing the coach would make little difference if the same players and individuals involved in the current system remained in place.
Speaking exclusively on Akoma 87.9 FM, he argued that even appointing some of football’s most celebrated managers would not necessarily improve the situation.
“You know, the coach, to some extent, is a very good coach. No matter who we bring on board, whether it is Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola, with the same players and the same people in place who want to make money from player selection, the problem will still be there.”
Norgbey alleged that financial interests could be influencing decisions over which players are selected, including attempts to showcase underperforming footballers to clubs outside Ghana.
“There is a problem with player selection. People want to make money from it. People want to just sell players. Even players who are not performing, they are trying to field them so that they can sell them to the outside world and get money.”
He identified selection as one of the main issues facing the team but said Parliament’s Select Committee on Sports had not yet completed an investigation.
“As I said earlier, we are yet to investigate and know exactly what the problem is, and how we can help improve the standard of play, the standard of football in this country. We will definitely do that.”
His comments follow Ghana’s 4-2 defeat by The Gambia in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Despite that result, Norgbey rejected calls for the immediate removal of either the coach or the Sports Minister. He warned that repeatedly changing coaches and leadership without examining the underlying issues could make matters worse.
“Sacking the coach is a non-starter at this moment. Because the more you sack the coach, the more you change the leadership, the more we encounter these debacles, the more we encounter these disasters.”
He said the priority should be a detailed investigation into the problems affecting the Black Stars and Ghana football more broadly.
“So, sacking the coach is not an option to me. Sacking the minister is not an option to me. We just have to investigate and delve into the matter, and see how best we can handle and improve the performance of the team as well.”
Parliament’s Select Committee on Sports is expected to engage key stakeholders as it examines the challenges facing the national team and Ghana football generally.
