Ed Dove
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- Ed Dove is a writer and scout with a deep and abiding passion for African sports, politics and literature. Instagram: @EddyDove22, Facebook: @EddyDoveAfrica
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Ghana captain Jordan Ayew wants Carlos Queiroz to extend his tenure as national team coach despite the Black Stars’ disappointing World Cup exit at the hands of Colombia on Friday.
John Arias scored the only goal of the game in the 14th minute to take Colombia into their round of 16 meeting with Switzerland, while Ghana limped out of the tournament after failing to get a shot on target against Coffee producers.
Despite the way they were eliminated, Ayew’s captain believes he has seen enough in Queiroz’s short time at the helm of the Ghana Football Association to extend the 73-year-old’s stay with the West African giants.
“I hope he stays, I hope he stays,” Ayew told ESPN. “Personally, I feel that he is the right person to take us to the next level and the next step.
“I wish it had a better ending, but we’ll see what happens. We tried our best with a new coach, new tactics, a new way of looking at football, so we just need to look to the future and stay positive.”
Eyebrows were raised when Ghana parted ways with previous head coach Otto Addo during the disappointing March international break and promptly appointed Queiroz in April.
The veteran had just two months to prepare the team before the start of the World Cup and, judging by his career, he will bring a completely different style of play to the Black Stars.
Ultimately, the Queiroz Ball was well received by the team; beating Panama and holding England to a 0-0 draw in Boston to reach the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years.
JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images
“The new manager came in and he didn’t have many games, but listen, we did everything we could,” Ayew continued. “We tried our best. We wanted to dream a little more, a little longer, but it didn’t happen.
“He’s done a lot of work to get into the team and it’s not easy. I’ve been in the game for a while now and I know that sometimes it takes five or six months for people to understand your journey.”
“He came and within a month or two we started implementing what he wanted, what he asked us to do.
“It worked well in some places, but we failed in others. That doesn’t mean he needs more time.”
While Ghana failed to deliver a blow to Colombia when they crashed out of the tournament, center back Jerome Opoku doesn’t believe Queiroz’s more conservative approach to the game was the wrong strategy for Ghana to implement in Kansas City.
“I thought the approach of the coach and the boys to this game was good,” he told reporters, “but it didn’t go our way.”
“We came into the game with the same hunger, the same fight, we had good preparation, but sometimes these things happen. Sometimes things don’t go the way we would like.”
Although local media reported that Queiroz’s original deal with the Black Stars was only a short-term deal, the GFA must quickly decide who they want to oversee the team as Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers begin in September.