Arranged over breakfast: Ghana coach Addo on 'special' Germany game
· Yahoo Sports
Ghana coach Otto Addo anticipates Monday's "special" friendly international in Germany which he said was quickly arranged over breakfast after the World Cup draw.
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Germany had originally planned to play Ivory Coast but the two were then drawn into the same World Cup group on December 5 in Washington which prompted a change of plan.
"We set it up over breakfast in Washington," Addo told papers of the Funke publishing house.
He said that both delegations were staying at the same hotel and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, sporting director Rudi Völler and national federation managing director Andreas Rettig "asked whether we would be interested in a test match."
Addo's parents are from Ghana but he has dual citizenship, having been born in Germany and living there. His playing career included terms at Hanover, Borussia Dortmund and SV Hamburg, and he was also a Dortmund assistant coach.
He has been Ghana coach since 2024 and Monday's game in Stuttgart will be a special occasion for the 50-year-old.
"I was born and raised in Germany, live in Dusseldorf, it will be a very special match for me," he said.
Ghana lost a tune-up in Austria 5-1 a few days ago and face a tough World Cup group with England, Croatia and Panama but Addo is undeterred.
"We have nothing to lose," he said, adding that teams like Ghana are often underestimated "and this could be our chance."
Addo has been engaged in the fight against discrimination of any kind and in this respect also praised a recent speech from Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany, who positioned himself against racism after Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior was allegedly racially abused during a Champions League match at Portugal's Benfica.
Addo said the speech of Kompany, with whom he played together in Hamburg, was "outstanding" because he had explained the issue in detail and made it clear that there is no justification whatsoever for racist remarks.