ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Otto Addo is returning for a second spell as coach of Ghana’s men’s national soccer team after Borussia Dortmund agreed to release him from his role in talent development at the end of the season.

Addo already coached Ghana on an interim basis for much of 2022, including at the World Cup in Qatar, when Ghana beat South Korea but was still eliminated in the group stage.

He returns to the job on a 34-month contract with an option to extend by another two years, the Ghana Football Association wrote on Facebook. That would cover at least the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup.

“To be able to take over the role of head coach of my national team is a great privilege,” Addo said in a statement by Dortmund. “As interim coach I have already had the chance to gather intensive experience in this role and I look forward to the task that lies ahead of me, starting in the summer.”

Addo’s role at Dortmund is as the “talent coach” responsible for developing a select group of promising youngsters at a club famed for producing some of European soccer’s brightest young talents. He has worked with players including Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho.

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The German club said it agreed to release Addo from his contract when the season ends but would also allow him to take charge of Ghana for upcoming friendlies this month. Dortmund previously allowed Addo to combine his work at the club with the 2022 interim stint.

During his playing career, the Hamburg-born Addo won the Bundesliga with Dortmund and played for Ghana at the 2006 World Cup.

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