Nii Odartey Lamptey: Kurt Okraku has created enemies for himself

Former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey says Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku has created enemies for himself, contributing to the problems facing the country’s football.The former PSV Eindhoven and Aston Villa forward’s comments come after the Black Stars suffered a difficult start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign.Ghana lost 2-0 to Ivory Coast in their opening Group C match before throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 to The Gambia in Accra.The defeats leave the four-time African champions without a point from their first two matches and under significant pressure to revive their qualification hopes.Lamptey, who represented Ghana at the 1992 Olympic Games and the 1996 AFCON, believes the problems surrounding the national team go beyond performances on the pitch.”I love Kurt Okraku, but he has created enemies for himself, and the enemies want his downfall,” Lamptey told 3Sports.”Those around him are not helping him. Until Kurt realises that he has to change so many things, so many things will go against him. Everyone is complaining.”When you create enemies for yourself, it affects the work that you are doing. That is what is happening to Ghana football now.”The GFA has faced a mountain of backlash following Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 AFCON.Ghana finished bottom of their qualifying group and missed the tournament for the first time in more than two decades.The Black Stars’ latest results have increased pressure on the GFA, with calls from some quarters for changes to the administration and technical structure of the national team.The association is also searching for another head coach after Carlos Queiroz left his position following the team’s poor start to the AFCON qualifiers.The Portuguese coach, who was appointed earlier this year, was tasked with guiding Ghana through the 2027 AFCON qualifiers after helping secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup.A five-member committee has been established to oversee the search for his replacement, with its report expected to be submitted to the Sports Ministry on Friday, 9 October.Ghana’s next AFCON qualifiers will be against Somalia in October.Both matches will be played at the Accra Sports Stadium, with the Black Stars needing to win both games to revive their campaign and keep their hopes of reaching the 2027 tournament alive.After two defeats from their opening two matches, Ghana have little room for further setbacks in Group C.



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