The head coach of the male national U20 team of Ghana has been reassigned to take over the vacant deputy coaching role at the Black Stars.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has announced the appointment of Desmond Ofei as the new Black Stars assistant coach following the dismissal of Joseph Laumann.
Moroccan-born German tactician Joseph Laumann was appointed by the Ghana FA to deputize Otto Addo after the dissolution of the Chris Hughton-led Black Stars technical team following the disastrous 2023 AFCON campaign in Ivory Coast.
However, the four-time African champions failed to make it to the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, finishing at the bottom of the qualification group, where Angola and Sudan booked themselves a ticket to the tournament to be staged in Morocco next year.
A statement from the Ghana Football Association on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Desmond Ofei as part of the newly formed Black Stars, spearheaded by Otto Addo and experienced German coach Winfried Schafer as technical advisor.
The statement reads: “Coming on board as assistant to Otto Addo is the architect of Ghana's resurgence at the male Under-20 level, Coach Desmond Ofei.”
“The Africa Games gold medal-winning Coach and Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Coach of the Year 2024, who has swiftly carved a niche for himself as an achiever, is expected to bring his expertise and deep analytical prowess to the team.”
The 37-year-old UEFA A (Level 4) Licensed Professional football coach is a former U-18 Head Coach and U-21 coach at Royal Antwerp FC. He is also a former Lokeren U-21 and Lusitano SAD head coach.
Desmond Ofei is expected to combine his new job with his role as head of high performance at the Technical Directorate.
He has coaching and scouting experience in Belgium, England, Holland, France, Portugal, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.
Desmond Ofei guided the Black Satellites to win the 2023 African Games Gold medal and also secured a qualification to the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations tournament scheduled to take place in Ivory Coast from April to May this year.
