Queiroz would have achieved more with adequate time- Kofi Adams

Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams believes the Black Stars would have enjoyed a stronger FIFA World Cup campaign if head coach Carlos Queiroz had been appointed earlier.

According to the Minister, the Portuguese coach had only a short period to prepare the team before the tournament but still managed to improve the Black Stars’ performances and meet expectations under the circumstances.

Speaking in an interview with Joy News, Adams recalled that Ghana’s performances in friendly matches before Queiroz’s arrival had left many supporters doubtful about the team’s chances at the World Cup.

He said the disappointing results in the build-up to the tournament created widespread pessimism, with many Ghanaians expecting the Black Stars to struggle on football’s biggest stage.

However, Adams noted that the team’s displays improved significantly after Queiroz assumed charge, pointing to better organisation, tactical discipline and overall competitiveness.

“If you look at the losses that we were suffering in all our friendlies after qualification, it was difficult to believe everything would be okay. But if you watched Carlos Queiroz’s approach, from the friendly against Wales to our performances against Panama, England and even Croatia, you could clearly see that with more time, much more could have been achieved,” he said.

Adams rejected suggestions that the coach had underperformed, arguing that Queiroz would likely have guided Ghana to a better World Cup campaign if he had overseen the team’s preparations, including the post-qualification friendlies.

“I don’t think the coach was bad. I believe that if he had been given the opportunity to handle most of our friendlies after qualification, we could have produced a much better result than we did. At the same time, Ghanaians did not expect us to achieve much. Many thought we would simply play our three group matches without making any real impression,” he added.