“It is not easy to manage a national team” – Sports Minister advocates patience for underfire Hughton

Sports Minister Hon. Mustapha Ussif has extended his resolute support to Black Stars coach Chris Hughton, urging fellow Ghanaians to exhibit patience and steadfastness in their expectations of him and his technical team.

“It is not easy to manage a national team,” Ussif said in an interview with JoySports.

Hughton, the experienced 64-year-old manager renowned for his tenures at Norwich City, Newcastle United, and Brighton, assumed the role in March 2023 under the banner of the Ghana Football Association (GFA). However, he has encountered critical scrutiny within the realm of football aficionados.

Recently-appointed Team Manager Ameenu Shardow, in a July interview with 3FM, expressed his sentiments: “We would have been better if Otto Addo stayed as Black Stars coach. I have always said that Otto Addo made mistakes at the World Cup because he hadn’t been there before.

“Otto Addo is someone who learns on the job, and Ghana would have been better if he had continued with his job as Black Stars head coach,” he noted.

Addressing the matter, Dr. Randy Abbey, an Executive Council member, emphasized the urgency for improvement as a reflection of the FA’s concerns.

“We are not too happy. We think there has to be a lot of improvement which needs to be made. We also don’t have all the time in the world, so we need to be fast about it,” he told Takoradi-based Spice FM.

Abbey added, “We think there’s a lot of work to be done because we had a lot of expectations for Hughton and his team of Dramani and Boateng. Based on the fact they’ve been around the team for a long while, they could hit the ground running.”

However, the Sports Minister has echoed a call for temperance and patience from both the FA’s leadership and the Ghanaian populace.

“There is a difference between national team management and club management, but I am confident in what Chris brings as a coach.

“I believe Chris Hughton is a very experienced coach, and I have total confidence that his experience will come to bear at the appropriate time.”

Having previously served as Technical Advisor to the Black Stars’ technical team, led by Otto Addo during the Fifa World Cup in Qatar, Hughton brings a wealth of experience from his management of English Premier League clubs.

However, Ussif contends that the national team presents an altogether different challenge to the ex-Irish stalwart.

“Chris has worked so hard throughout his career, and he knows the challenges he is facing as head coach of a national team. As I said, it is not easy to manage a national team because there is a difference between managing a national team and of a club,” he remarked.

In endorsing a measured approach, Hon. Ussif stated, “The expectations are not the same. The whole country looks up to you. They expect results from you, but we should be patient and give Chris the opportunity, space, or time to establish himself on the national team. We will see the results when he finally settles [on what he wants to do with the team].

Hon. Ussif concluded with conviction, “I have a strong belief that the current technical team is very good, and they need the opportunity and time to deliver for Mother Ghana.”

With three games under his belt, Chris Hughton has secured one victory and two draws since assuming his role earlier this year. The upcoming final Afcon 2023 qualifier against the Central African Republic in September holds significant importance. A draw from this match in Kumasi would secure the Black Stars’ place in the Cote d’Ivoire tournament scheduled for January next year.