In a recent radio interview, Leanier Addy, a former executive council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), sparked controversy by claiming that former Black Queens coach Nora Häuptle was “overhyped” during her tenure.
Ms Addy argued that the former coach’s achievements were inflated by media narratives, further stating that her impact on Ghanaian football was less significant than portrayed.
On Asempa FM, a local radio show, Ms Addy stated that previous coaches had better success with the national team.
“We overhyped Nora Häuptle,” she said. “If you check Nora’s credentials and other Ghanaian coaches who had handled the national team, they were far ahead of her.“
She stated that the new head coach, Kim Bjorkegren, should be given more time to work with the team.
“We should give this coach [Bjorkegren] more time to be with the team, and we should have more friendly matches for the ladies. I am pleading with the Ministry for more international friendlies.”
Ironically, Nora Häuptle had criticised the GFA for a lack of international friendlies to prepare the team for the WAFCON 2024 tournament.
The Labari Journal looked at the data during Häuptle’s tenure on Ms Addy’s claim that the former coach was overhyped, and the numbers don’t fit the narrative.
Nora Häuptle’s Tenure
Nora Häuptle first served as technical advisor to the Ghana U-20 national team during the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in 2022.
She was later appointed head coach of the Black Queens in 2023. She served for two years before declining to renew her contract in 2025 due to issues with the GFA, including a pay increase.
Häuptle would later sign with Zambia’s national team, the Copper Queens.
Her record as Ghana’s head coach, despite her short stint, was very positive and disputes the claim by Ms Addy that previous coaches were better.
Despite coaching for just 14 games, the national team scored 43 goals, conceding only 2 goals against opponents, achieving 10 wins with just 3 losses.
The team won the 2023 WAFU Zone B Women’s Cup and qualified for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Overhyped? The Data Says No
Given Häuptle’s record, the argument from Ms Addy that her tenure was “overhyped” doesn’t hold water.
Under Häuptle’s watch, the Black Queens saw measurable improvements in win rate, which resulted in a WAFCON qualification.
Her replacement, Kim Bjorkegren, who took over the team in January 2025, is off to a rocky start with the team.
Before the WAFCON tournament, the team played eight international games, winning three, losing four, and drawing one game (3-4-1).
At the tournament, the team overcame a 2-0 loss to South Africa, but rallied to reach the semi-final before losing to the host team, Morocco, 4-2 in a penalty shootout.
Häuptle’s team, Zambia’s Copper Queens, crashed out after losing 5-0 to tournament favorites Nigeria in the quarterfinals.
The team won two games and drew one in the group standings, finishing in 2nd place.
