Ghana has named Carlos Queiroz as their new head coach. The ex-Real Madrid boss takes charge as the Black Stars seek a World Cup breakthrough. The Portuguese mentor joins the Black Stars just ahead of the global showpiece, which will be hosted in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The Ghana Football Association announced the appointment on Monday. Queiroz takes charge immediately. His backroom staff is yet to be confirmed, though reports suggest he may bring in former Bafana goalkeeper Roger De Sa as his assistant.
The The West Africans are expected to open their Group L campaign against Panama on June 17, then face England on June 23 and Croatia on June 27 in Philadelphia. FenceAfrica24 understands that the GFA said Queiroz’s appointment is a short-term arrangement through the World Cup and will be re-evaluated after the tournament.
“This is not just another job – it is a mission,” Queiroz said in a statement on the GFA website. “And I am ready to give everything of my experience and knowledge once again, in service of the game and the happiness of People.”
According to football publications across the African continent, Queiroz’s appointment ends a two-week search that began when the GFA dismissed Otto Addo on March 30, hours after a 2-1 friendly loss to the Germans in Stuttgart. That result was the Black Stars’ fourth consecutive defeat in the World Cup pre-tournament preparation, following defeats to Japan, South Korea and Austria, the last of which was a heavy 5-1 defeat in Vienna.
Addo, who had qualified Ghana for the tournament by winning eight and drawing one of 10 qualifying matches, was fired 72 days before the World Cup’s opening ceremony. GFA president Kurt Okraku said over 600 applications arrived within the first 24 hours of Addo’s departure. The GFA had not issued a public call for candidates.
Among the managers who Queiroz beat to the job is Slaven Bilic, the 57-year-old Croatian and former West Ham boss, who had emerged as a frontrunner after holding direct discussions with the GFA.
Looking at other candidates was former Zambia and Cote d’Ivoire coach Herve Renard, who won the African Cup of Nations with Chipolopolo and the Elephants in 2012 and 2015.
While ex-Ghana mentor Kwesi Appiah’s name was mentioned, his relationship with Okraku posed a significant obstacle, according to insiders. Queiroz brings extensive World Cup experience to the role, having led national teams at five FIFA World Cups.
WHO IS GHANA COACH CARLOS QUEIROZ
The astute manager was born in Mozambique in 1953 and first rose to prominence by coaching Portugal’s youth teams to consecutive FIFA U20 World Cup titles in 1989 and 1991, developing a generation that included Luis Figo and Rui Costa.
Queiroz went on to manage Sporting Club and won the Portuguese Cup in 1995before coaching the New York/New Jersey Metro Stars and Japan’s Nagoya Grampus Eight.
At club level, his highest-profile roles were as head coach of Spanish La Liga giants, Madrid in the 2003-04 season, where he won the Spanish Super Cup, and as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant manager at Manchester United across two stints from 2002 to 2003 and 2004 to 2008.
His first African coaching role came with the South African national side, Bafana. He took the role in 2000 and led the side to the 2002 FIFA World Cup by topping their CAF qualifying group, including a decisive late win over the Malians. He resigned from the tournament after a disagreement with the South African Football Association (SAFA).
His longest national team tenure was with Iran, where he served for nearly eight years between 2011 and 2019, making him the longest-serving coach in the country’s football history. Ghana face friendlies against Mexico and Wales before the tournament. Queiroz will use both matches to assess his squad ahead of the World Cup.
