By OkayGoal 
In May 2024, Otto Addo’s second coming was greeted with huge hopes few months after the Black Stars have been eliminated from the group stage of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Addo’s first tenure saw him lead a downtrodden Black Stars team to the World Cup, beating a Nigeria team that boosted an attack of Victor OSimhen, Ademola Lookman and many other stars.
At the 2022 tournament in Qatar, although the Black Stars were not in the best state, Addo managed a win in three matches.
However, he announced his resignation at the post-match presser of the defeat to Uruguay in Doha, leaving the FA with the decision to hand the job to Chris Hughton, who was then a makeshift technical advisor to the former Black Stars gaffer.
The former Nottingham Forest manager’s tenure was marred with ill-inspired performances and despite qualifying for AFCON 2023, the team looked never really looked like they were in for a positive turn.
Addo’s return signaled a new beginning and after two early friendlies before he officially assumed his role in May, Ghanaians were beginning to see some promise.
But that soon faded after the Black Stars lost for the first time in Kumasi in 20 years following a 1-0 defeat to Angola in the opening game of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. Many blamed the poor playing surface of the Baba Yara Sports stadium while Addo himself admitted the conditions were not the best for football.
His second game days after the defeated to Angola ended in a draw in Morocco after an unfancied Niger held the Black Stars.
The pressure began to creep in, Ghanaians and the media began to lose hope in the German-trained coach.
Addo responded with victories in the World Cup qualifiers against the Central African Republic and Mali, keeping the hopes of a fifth tournament alive.
However, the story remained unchanged in the AFCON qualifiers and after months of inconsistent performances, Ghana’s fate was sealed, failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON.
And while Addo led Ghana to qualify for the World Cup, Ghanaians were not convinced and the promise that came with Addo disappeared.