Chris Hughton fired after Black Stars crash out of AFCON 2023

Following the Black Stars’ disastrous exit from AFCON 2023, Chris Hughton was fired.

The head coach of the Black Stars, Chris Hughton, has been relieved of his duties, according to an announcement made by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

The choice was made after the Black Stars lost all three of their group matchups and were eliminated from AFCON 2023.

Dissolution of the technical team was also mentioned in the GFA statement, which was released four hours after Ghana’s early elimination from the Ivory Coast tournament was confirmed.

According to the FA, “a roadmap on the future of the Black Stars” will be provided in the upcoming days.

After Otto Addo’s contract with the men’s senior national team expired following the 2022 World Cup, Hughton was appointed in February 2023.

He was assigned to manage the start of the Stars’ 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign as well as the remaining Ghanaian qualifiers for AFCON 2023, as well as travelling with the team to the competition in Ivory Coast.

Hughton was named the Black Stars’ Technical Advisor prior to taking over as head coach. He held this position for the Qatar tournament and before the team’s two-leg playoff match against Nigeria for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

As Black Stars head coach, Hughton oversaw 13 games, going 4–5 in wins, 5–5 in draws, and 4–4 in losses.

Hughton’s team recorded three victories, two defeats, and four draws in nine competitive games.

In addition to the results, the Black Stars’ performances under the former manager of Brighton, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest have drawn criticism, leading to the team’s dismal performance at AFCON 2023.

Fans and commentators have frequently questioned his decisions and handling of the games.

Ghana was eliminated from the AFCON for the second consecutive year at the group stage after drawing with Egypt and Mozambique and losing to Cape Verde in the opening match.

Hughton acknowledged that he was to blame for the Ivory Coast’s subpar performances.

He told the media following Monday’s 2-2 draw with Mozambique, “I take responsibility for this performance and admit my results with the Black Stars have not been good enough.”

With two international friendlies against world champions Argentina and China scheduled for March, the Black Stars will now need to regroup following their most recent setback.

They will then return their focus to the World Cup qualifiers, where they will play matches against Central African Republic and Mali in June.