I came to save Ghana football from crisis - Schaefer

Technical Director of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Winfried Schaefer, has opened up on his motivation for accepting the role in Ghana, stating that he was compelled by the urgent need to rescue Ghanaian football from a looming crisis.

Speaking to Sächsische Zeitung in an interview monitored by AfricaSoccer.com, the 75-year-old German football expert revealed that his decision came in the wake of a turbulent period for Ghana football, marked by failure to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and an ongoing struggle in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

AFCON miss

"The team had missed the Africa Cup—something considered a catastrophe in Ghana," Schaefer said. "There was unrest in the squad, World Cup qualification wasn’t going well and the president of the federation asked me to come in and bring some structure."

Schaefer, who has teamed up with head coach Otto Addo, emphasised that their goal was to foster team cohesion, drive long-term development and return Ghana to its rightful place among the elite of African football.

Since his appointment, Schaefer notes, noticeable improvements have been made, but he was quick to acknowledge that much more remains to be done.

"There’s still a lot of work to do. The real challenge is to implement sustainable football projects within Ghana," he explained. "I’m still looking for international partners who can support us. But I’m optimistic", he said

The former Cameroun national team coach, who guided the Indomitable Lions to the 2002 AFCON title, and later modernised Jamaican football during his tenure there, is now focused on strategic, long-term planning rather than coaching from the sidelines.

"It’s not about being a guru," he said. "But I’ve been around long enough to know what works in African football."

As Director of Football, Schaefer is responsible for technical development, advising on national team structures and helping unify Ghana’s fragmented football ecosystem—a task he believes is crucial to building a competitive future for the Black Stars and Ghana football at large.