Former Sports Minister Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye has weighed in on the ongoing search for a new Black Stars head coach, insisting that Ghana should appoint an experienced African tactician while urging local coaches to develop further before taking on the national team role.
His comments come amid growing debate over who should replace Otto Addo, with increasing pressure on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to make a swift decision ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Vanderpuye, while acknowledging differing opinions on the matter, made his preference clear—rejecting a European appointment in favour of an African coach with proven experience at the highest level.
“I agree with Rev. Osei Kofi to an extent, but inasmuch as I say we don’t need European coaches, I think we need an African coach,” he said.
He stressed that although Ghana has previously achieved success with homegrown coaches, the current generation is not yet at the level required to handle the demands of the Black Stars job.
“We won trophies in the past with Ghanaian coaches, but they were good coaches. Otto Addo, Ibrahim Tanko, CK Akonnor, Godwin Attram, Laryea Kingston and others are all coming up. They have not gotten to where we can entrust the Black Stars into their hands,” he explained.
Vanderpuye urged these coaches to focus on gaining experience at club level to strengthen their credentials before aiming for the national team role.
“They should go and start at the club level to build their résumés and capacity,” he advised.
With just about 70 days remaining before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the GFA is under pressure to appoint a new coach quickly. Ghana have been drawn in Group L alongside England, Croatia, and Panama, with their campaign set to begin on June 17 in Toronto.
