Andre Ayew says Otto Addo should have left after AFCON miss

Andre Ayew believes Ghana should have removed Otto Addo from his position earlier, with the Black Stars’ failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations marking the clearest point for a change. Addo remained in charge after that setback before eventually guiding Ghana to the 2026 World Cup.

Ayew made the assessment while speaking on the Obi One Podcast, hosted by former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi. The former Ghana captain said retaining Addo after the AFCON qualification failure placed the national team in a difficult position.

The ex-Black Stars forward has worked with Addo during his time with Ghana. Ayew played under him when Addo was part of the coaching staff as an assistant, giving him direct experience of the German-born coach’s methods and role within the team.

Ayew acknowledged that Addo later delivered World Cup qualification during his second spell as Ghana coach. However, he argued that this achievement did not remove the concerns surrounding the period immediately after the AFCON failure.

Ghana then endured a difficult run of five or six matches after securing World Cup qualification, according to Ayew’s account, before the team recovered. His criticism focused mainly on the timing of Addo’s departure rather than ignoring the coach’s eventual success in taking the Black Stars to the 2026 tournament.

Ayew also stressed that the Black Stars represent the whole country and that every person involved must work towards winning. He said success requires a process, while maintaining that the decision to keep Addo after the failure to reach AFCON made that process harder.

Addo eventually left the Ghana job after qualifying the team for the 2026 World Cup, ending his second period as national coach.