It was a matter of if, not when, Otto Addo was going to be fired as Ghana coach. But now the Black Stars have just two months to the FIFA World Cup, so who will lead them there?
Since the team's failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Oddo had been living on borrowed time, with calls for the former Black Star to be fired and replaced with a new coach growing even more stringent with every turn.
But the GFA had held firm, hoping to keep the man who had not only qualified them to the last edition at the expense of jollof war rivals Nigeria, but led them to the tournament.
This international window, the last before the FIFA World Cup in North America, was always going to be make or break for the Addo, and when it rolled around, his fate was effectively sealed by the 1-5 loss to Austria a few days ago.
Sources close to the GFA leadership told ESPN the decision to fire the coach was made after that loss and he was allowed to manage the team against Germany mainly for sentimental reasons.
Otto Addo was born in Germany and the game was being played in Hamburg where he was born, raised and still has lots of friends and where he still resides with his family.
His nuclear family actually came to the game and were present at the last training session, which was closed to both the public and media.
Although the Black Stars performance against Germany was an improvement over the shellacking they were handed by Austria, Addo's axing was merely a formality. In a twist of fate, his family were on the 9th floor of the hotel waiting to see him after the game, while he was getting fired on the 30th floor.
Sources say the coach simply left with them immediately.
With Otto Addo gone, the searchlight turns to who his replacement will be. With two months to kickoff of the FIFA World Cup, and no more international windows for a new coach to test out ideas or get to know the players from close up, the key criteria are a coach who knows the players, understands the culture of both team and country, and also has the chops to compete internationally with a talented Black Stars squad.
Still, Ghana FA president Kurt Okraku says that in the less than 24 hours since Addo was fired, over 600 applications have been received by the GFA, even absent a public notice calling for applications and says the GFA will appoint a new coach in "a week or two".
Not many coaches can meet all three criteria, but there are three coaches who do, and it is possible that the replacement could be one of these three.
Walid Regragui - Morocco
Regragui is without a doubt, one of the top coaches in Africa and his recent resume puts him almost top of the queue to take Ghana to the World Cup.
Under his leadership, Morocco became the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022. He followed that up by qualifying them to the 2026 World Cup at a canter with an impressive eight wins out of eight for a maximum 24 points, scoring 22 goals and allowing just two.
As if that was not enough, Regragui also guided Morocco to the Final of the Africa Cup of Nations where they lost narrowly to Senegal in extra time. That was not enough to save his job as he was fired by Morocco for failing to win the title... Even though CAF have given it to them two months later.
Regragui checks two important boxes for Ghana. He knows and understands African football and he has also recently proven himself at the World Cup.
The only thing he may lack would be an understanding of the Ghana and Black Stars country and team culture, but that may not be an unsurmountable hurdle.
Sources tell ESPN that the GFA have already made contact with Regragui, believing that he has the profile they want for the job and both parties are keen on making progress.
Regragui is particularly keen on taking Ghana to the World Cup, as the Black Stars at once present the sort of proposition that further elevates his profile, while also giving the middle finger to Morocco for letting him go.
Conversations between both sides is now said to be centered around terms, including length of contract and wages. Regragui is not expected to come cheap, but Ghana will be flush with World Cup funds, and could well go for a short term deal with an option for a performance-based post World Cup extension.
Herve Renard - France
Renard's coaching history is very intertwined with Ghana. First, being the country where he began his career in Africa in 2008 as an assistant to his mentor Claude Leroy, with whom he had previously worked at Shanghai Cosco (2002-03) and Cambridge United (2004).
Renard was part of Leroy's staff as the Black Stars finished third at the tournament that they hosted. Unhappy with being seen mostly as a physical trainer, Renard spent just 10 months before leaving to join Zambia, leading them to their first Afcon title in 2012.
He won a second African title in 2015, becoming the first coach to win the Afcon with two different countries. Renard's Ivory Coast defeated Ghana 9-8 on penalties in the that final, after a 0-0 draw.
His familiarity with the team and success in Africa have made him a recurring target for Ghana's coaching job, across multiple coaching cycles, but financial constraints have almost always stood in the way of a deal.
Following the sacking of Charles Akonnor in 2021, Ghana fans widely pushed for Renard, but the Ministry of Youth and Sports was unable to match his reported $100,000-per-month salary with Saudi Arabia.
After Chris Hughton was dismissed following Ghana's poor AFCON 2023 campaign, the GFA's preferred choice was again Renard, but financial limitations remained a barrier.
Frederick Acheampong, a GFA Executive Council member, confirmed at the time that Renard had always been a target but that his contractual demands made the move "almost impossible".
Renard himself made it clear in a 2017 TV3 interview that he is always open to a Ghana approach: "I will never forget, it was where I started... I will never refuse an offer from Ghana."
The Frenchman was all set to lead Saudi Arabia to the World Cup, but has been let go after recent poor results.
Unlike Regragui, Renard ticks every box for the GFA, and reports say both sides are already in conversation, with terms, including remuneration, composition of the technical team and length of contract being discussed. Renard is also said to be favoured by the Ministry of Sports.
Kwesi Appiah - Ghana
Of these top three candidates, none ticks the box better than Kwesi Appiah. Not only is he local, bringing deep knowledge of both the Black Stars as a team and peerless understanding of the team and country culture, he has also led them at both World Cup in 2014 and two AFCON tournaments in 2013 and 2019.
Since 2023, he has been head coach of Sudan, and has helped turn their team around, intersecting with Ghana in the process, a situation that did not end well for the Black Stars.
Appiah's Sudan swiped four points off the Black Stars on their way to qualifying for the 2025 AFCON, with a 0-0 draw in Accra and 2-0 win in Benghazi, where Sudan played their qualifiers.
Sudan qualified for the Nations Cup in second place, while Ghana finished bottom of the group.
Appiah, as a Ghanaian, comes with an immediate understanding and appreciation of the culture, dynamics and politics of both the team and the country. And as one who has recently scouted and played against the team during AFCON qualifying, no one matches what he brings to the table.
He would also be the least expensive version of all the coaches under consideration. So why is he not an automatic shoo-in for the job?
Well, to start with there is the small matter of his contract with Sudan, which was extended to 2028 after the initial three-year term he signed in 2023 that would have ended in 2026.
Appiah would have to break that to go to Ghana, but again, the GFA is flush with World Cup payouts and can afford to pay the compensation necessary.
But that is not the real issue at play. The big challenge is that Appiah has a very strained relationship with GFA president Kurt Okraku and that is a hurdle that will prove difficult to overcome.
Still, Appiah has been mentioned as a potential coach of last resort, to take over the reins in an interim capacity if all other options fail.