- Charles Akonnor fiercely rejected accusations of gambling with his lineups, asserting that heavy squad rotation is a long-term tactical necessity to build depth.
- Akonnor expressed complete defiance against severe social media insults.
- The former Ghana captain issued an urgent safety plea to CECAFA tournament organizers to move the semi-final fixtures to natural grass.
Following Gor Mahia’s 1-0 victory over Djibouti’s Garde Républicaine at the Kigali Pelé Stadium, head coach Charles Akonnor launched a fierce defense of his tactical decisions, completely dismissing critics who have accused him of gambling with squad selections during the 2026 CECAFA Kagame Cup.
An early fourth minute strike from Paul Okoth proved enough to seal K’Ogalo’s qualification for the semi-finals, completing a chaotic Group A campaign that featured a heavy 5-0 win over hosts APR FC and a crushing 1-0 defeat to Uganda’s Vipers SC.
Yet, despite securing a spot in the final four, the narrative surrounding the Ghanaian tactician remained hostile in some quarters, prompting an explosive, unfiltered response during his post-match press conference.
Akonnor made it clear that surviving a domestic and continental calendar requires a deep squad, particularly with several new signings needing minutes to adjust.
“I can understand that they want us to win, I can understand that. But nobody should think I’m gambling, I’m playing, I’m not serious. I know exactly what I’m doing. I know. You cannot play one team throughout the season. It’s not possible,I’m not gambling, but it’s all about the growth of the team, the improvement of the team.”
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The former Ghana national team captain and Wolfsburg midfielder did not hold back when addressing the personal nature of the vitriol directed at him from external critic groups.
“Pressure and those kind of saying and everything rather motivates me, I understand we cannot win every match, even the best of teams in the world lose sometimes,” Akonnor said.
“When it gets to such situations I’m okay. Just that when things go the wrong way, the same negative people always come and talk about it, always set up some groups of people to bash me. The other day somebody was telling me I don’t read, I’m a plumber. Me,a olumber I mean, come on.”
Having spent over three decades at the highest levels of the sport in both Europe and Africa, Akonnor laughed off the attempts to rattle him.
“It’s something I’m used to. It doesn’t move me. I’m not afraid. I am somebody who has worked like I said all my life in football. You cannot intimidate me by such words. It doesn’t work that way because I know myself.”
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Charles Akonnor player safety plea
Beyond the media noise, Akonnor shifted his focus to player safety, issuing a direct, urgent request to the CECAFA tournament organizers regarding the synthetic playing surface used during the group stages.
The match proved costly for K’Ogalo, with Samuel Kapen suffering a severe injury and another Patrick Essombe being monitored by the medical staff.
“The other thing that I want to plead is the field. If the field for the semi-final can be played on grass. Because, not to say any negative thing about the authorities who are in charge, but it’s not healthy for the boys.
Today we’ve experienced a very negative thing from our players. One is seriously injured, I don’t know the other one which we will have to look at it if how serious it is, and as a result of the field.”
Akonnor’s rant comes just days after he slammed close quarters of backstabbing, breaking his silence on a viral social media letter,reportedly addressed to club leadership by disgruntled fans,demanding his immediate dismissal before the start of the new SportPesa League season.