Newly appointed Black Stars coach Carlos Queiroz has become only the second Portuguese to take charge of Ghana’s senior national team, following in the footsteps of Mariano Barreto, who managed the side in 2004.
His appointment last week ended the uncertainty over his future, after doubts emerged about whether he would continue in the role, with the Ghana Football Association awaiting approval from the Ministry of Sports.
Although Ghana has traditionally shown a strong preference for European coaches, Portuguese nationals have rarely featured among the preferred choices for the Black Stars job.
Germany, on the other hand, has supplied more coaches to the national team than any other European country. Karl-Heinz Marotzke was the first German to take charge, serving from 1968 to 1970, before Karl-Heinz Weigang succeeded him between 1974 and 1975.
Another German, Rudi Gutendorf, was appointed between 1986 and 1987, replacing Herbert Addo. Bukhard Ziese then took over from Fred Osam-Duodu and served from 1990 to 1992 before handing the reins to fellow German Otto Pfister in 1993.
There was subsequently a lengthy break in the appointment of German coaches as Ghana turned to other nationalities, including Denmark’s Jorgen Larsen, Romania’s Petre Gavrila, Brazil’s Ishmael Kurtz, Netherlands’ Rinus Israël, Italy’s Giuseppe Dossena and Yugoslavia’s Milan Zivadinovic.
Ziese returned to the Black Stars in 2003 before eventually relinquishing the position to fellow German Ralf Zumdick, who served as caretaker coach and became the last German to handle the national team.
Serbia has also contributed to Ghana’s coaching history, with Ratomir Dujkovic guiding the Black Stars from 2004 to 2006, followed by Milovan Rajevac from 2008 to 2010 and Goran Stevanovic from 2011 to 2012.
Brazil has also produced three coaches for the Black Stars. Carlos Alberto Parreira became the first Brazilian to coach Ghana in 1967, followed by Oswaldo Carlos Sampaio in 1977-78 and Ismael Kurtz in 1996.
Against that historical backdrop, Queiroz’s appointment is significant, making him the 40th coach to handle the Black Stars since England’s George Ainsley became the first foreign coach to take charge of the national team in 1958-59.
The confirmation of the 73-year-old Portuguese has been welcomed by many Ghanaians, who believe he is the right man to lead the team, particularly following his impressive performance at the World Cup.
Queiroz now has the responsibility to justify that confidence by building on the progress made during his previous stint and creating a Black Stars side capable of competing consistently at the highest level.
His experience, tactical discipline and familiarity with the national team could prove crucial as Ghana seeks to establish a more defined identity and return to the level of competitiveness expected of one of Africa’s traditional football powers.
