Ghana’s head coach, Chris Hughton, has been fired after the Black Stars were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations group stage, according to the Ghana Football Association.
The West Africans earned only two points from their three Group B matches, and their slim hopes of progressing as one of the four best third-placed teams were dashed on Tuesday when Mauritania defeated Algeria in Bouaké.
“The Ghana Football Association wishes to announce that Chris Hughton has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the senior national team with immediate effect,” stated the Ghana Football Association in a statement.
“The Ghana Football Association will, in the coming days, provide a roadmap on the future direction of the Black Stars.”
Hughton’s backroom staff—including former Aston Villa midfielder George Boateng, former Black Stars goalkeeper Richard Kingston, and Didi Dramani—have all been let go by the federation.
“The Executive Council has also taken a decision to dissolve the technical team of the Black Stars,” according to the statement.
Hughton, 65, a former Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion manager, took over as national team manager in February 2023 after serving as the federation’s technical advisor the year before.
He held this position during Ghana’s elimination in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, assisting head coach Otto Addo before replacing him shortly after the tournament in Qatar.
Hughton, whose father was Ghanaian, has presided over a disappointing Nations Cup campaign for the four-time winners.
Despite taking the lead, they were defeated 2-1 by Cape Verde in their first match, conceding a goal in the 92nd minute, before drawing 2-2 with Egypt in their second group game on Thursday.
The win they needed to advance in their final group game against Mozambique was firmly in their grasp after two Jordan Ayew penalties, but the Mambas scored twice in second-half stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 draw.
This left Ghana in third place with two points, and after results in other groups went against them, the Black Stars were officially eliminated from the tournament on Tuesday.
Hughton, who had been accosted by an angry supporter in the team hotel following the Cape Verde defeat, was verbally abused by Ghanaian fans and journalists following Monday’s draw.
He later acknowledged that the Black Stars had fallen far short of expectations.
“When you are unable to see the game through, it becomes very difficult,” he went on to say. “Our performances have not been good.
“We played three games, conceded two goals each, and now find ourselves in a difficult situation.
“My assessment of my results is that they haven’t been good enough.”