Medeama boss Ibrahim Tanko says helping Ghana recover from a brutal AFCON qualifying start is an honor, not a burden.
Ghana's Black Stars are in crisis mode, and Ibrahim Tanko is stepping straight into the fire. The Medeama SC head coach says he is proud to help a wounded national team find its feet again after a rocky opening to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Black Stars opened their Group C campaign with a 2-0 loss to Ivory Coast in Bouake. Things then got worse at home, where The Gambia stunned Ghana 4-2 at the Accra Sports Stadium. Those back-to-back defeats cost head coach Carlos Queiroz his job and left one of Africa's giants searching for direction.
The Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Sports and Recreation have formed a five-member committee to recommend a permanent coach. Until that appointment, Kim Lars Björkegren leads the technical team, with Tanko, Godwin Attram and Fatau Dauda as his assistants for the upcoming doubleheader against Somalia.
Tanko described the call-up as a privilege and said he is honored to be among those trusted to steady the ship in such a difficult moment. With Ghana's qualification hopes under pressure, the double date with Somalia is a chance to stop the slide and show the Black Stars can bounce back.