Contributor She may no longer be on the touchline, but Nora Häuptle's fingerprints are all over Ghana's remarkable WAFCON revival.
As the Black Queens celebrated their first Women's Africa Cup of Nations semi-final appearance since 2016, the plaudits flowed for Kim Lars Björkegren. But amid the praise for Ghana's current coach, there's a danger that the woman who rebuilt this team from its lowest ebb will be airbrushed from history.
Häuptle didn't just coach the Black Queens; she resurrected them. With unwavering vision and determination, the Swiss tactician dragged Ghana's women's national team out of the wilderness, instilling belief and structure when hope had all but evaporated.
Yet as the applause rings out for Björkegren's achievement in Morocco, critics are already rewriting the narrative. Former Ghana Football Association executive council member Leanier Addy has dismissed Häuptle as "overhyped."
It's a harsh verdict that ignores the scale of her transformation.
The long road back
To understand Häuptle's impact, you need to appreciate how far Ghana had fallen. Once Nigeria's fiercest rivals on the continent, the Black Queens had become also-rans, crashing out at the group stage of the 2018 WAFCON on home soil before failing to even qualify for the 2022 tournament in Morocco.
When Häuptle arrived in January 2023, she inherited a team stripped of confidence and direction. What followed was nothing short of remarkable.
Ghana won their first nine matches under the Swiss coach without conceding a single goal, scoring 31 times in the process. More importantly, they rediscovered their identity and self-belief.
The defining moment came in the WAFCON qualifiers against Namibia. After a commanding 3-1 first-leg victory, Ghana held their nerve in a nervy 1-0 second-leg defeat to secure their place at the 2024 tournament, after missing out on 2022.
As the final whistle blew, Häuptle was reduced to tears. It was a moment that encapsulated what this meant not just to her, but to Ghanaian women's football.
Morocco calling
Ghana's 2024 WAFCON campaign started poorly with a 2-0 defeat to South Africa, despite enjoying 47.5% possession. The performance was rusty rather than disastrous—a team still finding its rhythm against Africa's most consistent side.
Improvement came gradually. A 1-1 draw with Mali, thanks to Alice Kusi's early strike, showed promise before the breakthrough arrived against Tanzania.
The 4-1 demolition of Tanzania was vintage Black Queens, with Grace Asantewaa pulling the strings in midfield while Priscilla Adubea, Kusi, Evelyn Badu, and Chantelle Boye-Hlorka provided the clinical edge up front.
Suddenly, Ghana believed again. The vice president and members of parliament rallied behind the team. The nation dared to dream of a first WAFCON final since 2010.
After a penalty shootout victory over Algeria in the quarter-finals, those dreams were dashed by Morocco in the semi-final. Still, reaching the last four represented remarkable progress for a team that had been in the doldrums just two years earlier.
The departure that changed everything
By then, of course, Häuptle was long gone. Despite her obvious success, contract renewal talks with the GFA broke down in late 2023.
Speaking to Swiss outlet 20 Minutes, Häuptle revealed her frustration:
“It wasn’t easy to give up the project. My contract was running out at the end of the year, and we had discussions. But there were a few pieces of the puzzle that were not clear, which were relevant to my success,” she said.
“I can’t just make compromises, but nothing happened; we are parting on good terms and with a lot of respect for each other.
The GFA insisted they tried to keep her, but Häuptle ultimately chose to take charge of Zambia instead.
She was particularly unhappy with Ghana's preparation plans, especially the lack of high-quality friendlies ahead of WAFCON.
Her departure was described as "amicable" but represented a sliding doors moment for Ghanaian football. Would Ghana have reached the final with Häuptle still in charge? We'll never know.
Unfair criticism
What makes the current narrative around Häuptle so troubling is the rushed judgement being passed on her abilities.
When Zambia was knocked out of WAFCON by Nigeria in the quarter-finals, some Ghanaian fans were quick to suggest this vindicated their scepticism.
This misses the point entirely. Nigeria is one of Africa's superpowers, a team that would be expected to beat almost anyone on the continent, including Ghana. Using a single result to diminish Häuptle's achievements borders on the absurd.
The coach who took Zambia to Morocco inherited a different project with different challenges. More importantly, her work in Ghana should be judged on its own merits—and those merits are considerable.
None of this should detract from Björkegren's achievement. The Swedish coach has done an admirable job maintaining the momentum Häuptle created, guiding Ghana to their best WAFCON performance in over a decade.
But football is rarely about individual genius; it's about building on foundations, and the foundations Häuptle laid were rock solid.
Some will argue her success came against weaker opposition, but that misses the point. International football is about consistency and confidence, about creating a winning mentality that can withstand pressure. Häuptle achieved all of this.
Her vision was clear, and it was working. External factors, not tactical shortcomings, led to her departure.
But sport has a short memory, and already there are signs that Häuptle's contribution is being minimised or forgotten entirely. This would be a grave injustice.The Swiss coach deserves recognition, not condemnation.
She took a broken team and made it whole again. She restored pride to the Black Queens jersey and gave a generation of players the belief that they belonged on the biggest stage.
Björkegren, to his credit, has continued that work brilliantly. But he was building on foundations that Häuptle poured with her own hands.
Football is a team sport, but transformation often requires a single vision, and Nora Häuptle's vision saved Ghanaian women's football. Don't let history forget that.
I wish the Black Queens all the best and hope they bring bronze home.
