Veteran German trainer Winfried Schafer has expressed his disappointment over Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
The Black Stars, a team with a rich history in African football, endured a dismal qualifying campaign, finishing at the bottom of Group F after drawing three matches and losing three under head coach Otto Addo.
This marks the first time in over two decades that Ghana will miss Africa’s premier football tournament.
Schafer, the former AFCON-winning coach with Cameroon in 2002, voiced his dismay over Ghana’s absence from the competition.
“I am a good follower of African football due to my previous experience with Cameroon and my winning of the African Cup of Nations title, and I am sad about Ghana’s absence, and this is all I can say now,” he said in an interview an quoted by AfricaSoccer.com
In response to the setback, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has restructured the national team’s technical bench.
Schafer has been appointed as a technical advisor, while Ghana’s U20 head coach, Desmond Offei, joins the Black Stars' setup as an assistant coach, replacing Joseph Laumann.
John Paintsil and Fatawu Dauda have retained their roles as assistant coaches under Otto Addo.
Looking ahead, Ghana will shift their focus to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where they sit second in Group I with nine points, level with leaders Comoros.
Their next competitive matches will be against Chad and Madagascar in March as they seek to revive their international standing.