Ghana turn to women's coach Kim Bjorkegren after Queiroz departure

Ghana have placed women's national team coach Kim Bjorkegren in temporary charge of the men's side following Carlos Queiroz's departure, BBC Sport Africa reported. The Swede, who has led the Black Queens since January 2025, has been asked to take responsibility for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Somalia.

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The change follows defeats in Ghana's opening two matches in Group C of qualifying for the 2027 tournament. They lost 2-0 away to Ivory Coast in Bouake and then 4-2 against The Gambia in Accra. Those results ended Queiroz's second spell in the job less than a month after his return.

Queiroz was first appointed in April and took Ghana to the last 32 of this year's World Cup. His side drew 0-0 with England in the group stage before losing 1-0 to Colombia in the knockout round. He announced his departure after that elimination, but the Ghana Football Association brought him back in early September, citing his extensive international experience.

His opening Afcon qualifiers were affected by a series of squad withdrawals. According to the BBC report, six players from the original selection dropped out, including Antoine Semenyo, Mohammed Kudus, Jordan Ayew and Baba Rahman. Some of the players subsequently called up as replacements also withdrew, further reducing the options available to the coach.

The latest change continues a period of repeated turnover. Chris Hughton, Charles Akonnor, Milovan Rajevac, Otto Addo and Queiroz have all held the men's head coach position during the past six years. Addo served two separate spells, while Hughton was dismissed in January 2024 after Ghana failed to progress from their group at the 2023 Afcon.

Speaking to BBC Sport Africa at the Best of Africa Awards, Hughton called for greater continuity in the coaching role. He said frequent changes were unhelpful for players and could affect their attitudes towards a manager. He also urged greater investment in Ghana's football infrastructure and expressed concern about support for the domestic game.

Bjorkegren takes temporary responsibility with Ghana trying to avoid missing a second consecutive Afcon finals. Their last continental title came in 1982, and they have not advanced beyond the tournament's second round since 2017.