On Friday, after Ghana’s exit from the 2022 Fifa World Cup, Otto Addo reiterated why he is not prepared to trade his position at German club Borussia Dortmund for that of head coach of the senior national team.
At the Bundesliga club, the 47-year-old is employed full-time as a talent coach as well as a coach for the first team, focusing on the development of players from the youth teams to the senior squad.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) were fully aware Otto could not leave the role, hence first appointing him on a temporary basis following their underwhelming performance at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He led Ghana to edge rivals Nigeria in the World Cup playoffs.
Weeks later, the former Ghana international was hired specifically till the end of the tournament in Qatar. This was done with the blessings of his German employers who did not want to deprive him of a golden opportunity to coach at the World Cup.
Dortmund permit Otto Addo to keep Ghana role through to 2022 World Cup
The Black Stars failed to make it past the group stages of the World Cup after falling to Uruguay on Friday
After duels with Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay in Group H, Ghana crashed out of the Qatar World Cup with 3 points.
And Addo – the second Ghanaian to lead the country at the Mundial after Kwasi Appiah in 2014 – indicated to the press that as per the existing arrangement, his temporary reign as Black Stars coach has expired following the elimination.
He explained: “The decision is not only in my hands. Before I even started working with the GFA, everybody knew I had a contract with Dortmund.”
“And to even come here was very difficult; the GFA put a lot of effort into getting me released [for the World Cup].”
Otto Addo then explained how the role he has occupied since 2019 is crucial to his employers.
“What you have to know is that the position I have as a talent coach is very crucial to Dortmund.
“We produce a lot of big talent. It is a crucial and important position for the club. Normally they wouldn’t have to let me go, but because I wanted to help the country and the GFA went there and had good talks, they released me for six months,” he added in his last press conference as Ghana coach.
