Sep 3, 6:01 AM
The Endless Second Coming of Carlos Queiroz
Two months after stepping down, the veteran Portuguese tactician returns to pilot Ghana through another administrative gap.
Sixty days is apparently a lifetime in international football governance. After stepping down following Ghana’s World Cup campaign, Carlos Queiroz is back on the Black Stars' bench. The 73-year-old Portuguese veteran, whose career reads like a world atlas, has agreed to an interim return. One has to admire the transactional efficiency of it all: depart with applause, let the administrative dust settle, and return when the realization dawns that there is simply no better alternative on short notice.
The Ghana Football Association made the return official, confirming that the manager will step into his new coaching mandate starting with the upcoming international window. His immediate task is demanding. Ghana faces home and away qualification matches for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations against Ivory Coast between September 21 and October 6. Explaining the decision, the association noted that the GFA believes Queiroz’s extensive international experience, technical expertise, and knowledge of the Black Stars position him strongly to lead the team into this next chapter.
To understand this administrative U-turn, one must look back at the chaos preceding the World Cup. Ghana found itself without a manager 72 days before the tournament began, having parted ways with Otto Addo following friendly defeats against Austria and Germany in March. Queiroz was brought in as a high-level troubleshooter with barely two months to prepare a squad.
Against the odds, the Portuguese manager guided the Black Stars to the round of 32. Having performed the rescue job, his initial exit seemed definitive. Yet pragmatic necessity quickly brought both parties back to the negotiating table.
Queiroz brings a level of globe-trotting expertise that few managers can match. Born in Mozambique, the former goalkeeper has built a career across continents. Beyond leading Portugal in the early 1990s and to the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup, he has held coaching roles with South Africa, Japan, Colombia, and Egypt. His most prominent international tenure was with Iran, where he oversaw three World Cup tournaments and registered three victories in 13 matches.
Whether an open-ended interim arrangement offers lasting stability is questionable, but long-term planning is rarely the primary currency of national associations. For now, Ghana relies on proven Portuguese tactical management to navigate its immediate qualification hurdles.
Written by Thomas Nussbaumer thomas.nussbaumer@alpineweekly.com
