‘He is back’ – Otto Addo resumes job at Borussia Dortmund after Black Stars World Cup qualification

Otto Addo

Otto Addo was full of smiles on his return to Borussia Dortmund after leading the Black Stars’ qualification to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The 46-year-old was named as the interim gaffer of the Black Stars in February for the playoff games against Nigeria last month.

The Black Stars booked their place at the World Cup following a pulsating 1-1 draw against Nigeria at the Mashood Abiola Stadium in March.

A first-half strike by Thomas Partey was cancelled out by a penalty from Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong as both teams shared the spoils in Abuja.

The result sealed Ghana’s qualification on away goals after the first leg ended in a goalless draw at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

Addo has been widely praised for turning things around very quickly, especially after the team’s disastrous campaign at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

And he was full of smiles when he returned to Dortmund, with the German club posting a photo of the former midfielder on social media.

In a post on Twitter, Dortmund shared a photo of Addo standing with other coaches, accompanied by the caption: “The Hero of Ghana is back in Dortmund!”

 

 

Ghana will face Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea after being drawn in Group H of the 2022 World Cup.

Meanwhile, President Nana Akufo-Addo has urged the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to keep the current coaching staff together until after the World Cup.

Having visited the Jubilee House after securing World Cup qualification, the President congratulated the team and urged the GFA to keep the technical staff together.

“I’m hoping that the technical team that has been put together for these two matches will at least take us through the World Cup,” Akufo-Addo said.

“I told the coach that he should be careful when he came to Ghana; that he could be kidnapped here and we’ll make it difficult for him to go back to Germany and to Dortmund.

“But I hope that Mr. Okraku, [you’ll do] whatever you can to keep this team together, at least until Qatar. Then afterwards, we can take the long-term decision,” he added.