Ghana: What next for Black Stars with Afcon 2025 place at risk?

When the GFA gave Addo an initial three-year contract this year the message was clear: that the focus was on qualification for the 2025 Afcon and 2026 World Cup.

The 49-year-old, who had led the Black Stars to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, won his first two competitive matches against Mali and Central African Republic in June.

But then came the creation of an unwanted record – losing a game in Kumasi for the first time in 24 years – and now the risk of missing out on the 2025 Afcon.

The Sudan defeat has raised questions about the future of Addo, who acknowledged the team were under pressure ahead of their meeting in neutral Libya.

“The fans are not happy,” Ghanaian sports journalist Muftawu Abdulai told BBC Sport Africa.

“The language, words, tone that is being directed towards the head coach is quite unpalatable.

“Many fans have gone to the extent of abusing him. They want him fired.”

However, Abdulai believes the GFA will retain the former Borussia Dortmund player.

“I do not think that the GFA would even consider parting company with Otto Addo,” he added.

“I was made to understand this is a man they want to plan with. So Otto is not going anywhere.”

Without a win after four rounds in Group F, Ghana must beat already-qualified Angola and Niger next month and hope Sudan fail to pick up a point against the same opposition.

In the long term, Akonnor also emphasised the importance of working on youth development, which once produced the likes of Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan.

“I think we focus on the Black Stars too much,” Akonnor, who was dismissed by Ghana in September 2021, said.

“We’ve left our youth development. We have potential to be better and we need to do something drastically with all urgency.”