Swedish coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren has been appointed interim head coach of Ghana’s Black Stars while the Ghana Football Association (GFA) continues its search for a permanent manager.
Bjorkegren is expected to take charge of Ghana’s crucial November double-header against Somalia, with assistant coach Godwin Attram and Ibrahim Tanko set to support him.
The interim arrangement was reportedly approved by a committee made up of government and GFA representatives and led by former GFA Vice-President Fred Pappoe. The group is continuing its search for a permanent successor.
The appointment comes after Ghana began its 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign with defeats by The Gambia and Cote d’Ivoire in Group C. The Black Stars will be looking to revive their qualification hopes in the November matches.
A coaching career across three continents
Bjorkegren started in management in his hometown of Linkoping, Sweden, with Karle IF’s men’s side in the country’s fourth tier. He subsequently coached Kisa BK and IK Gauthiod before switching to women’s football in 2016 as manager of Hovas/Billdal.
His time at IK Gauthiod included a fifth-place finish in Sweden’s Division 2. The club also qualified for the Svenska Cupen after beating IFK Tidaholm 3–1 in the district championship final.
In 2017, Bjorkegren succeeded Martin Sjogren as head coach of Linkopings FC, the defending Damallsvenskan champions. Although the club lost Pernille Harder, Fridolina Rolfo and Stina Blackstenius before the season, and captain Magdalena Eriksson was sold to Chelsea during the campaign, he guided Linkopings FC to the league title with two rounds remaining.
Linkopings FC also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League under his management.
Bjorkegren moved to China in January 2018 to become manager of Beijing BG Phoenix in the Chinese Women’s Super League. Reports described him as the first Swedish coach to work in the competition. He appointed recently retired Sweden international Elena Sadiku as his assistant and fitness coach, while also signing Spanish player Vero Boquete and Sweden striker Marija Banusic.
Titles in Cyprus and move to Ghana
In June 2020, Apollon Ladies FC appointed Bjorkegren head coach for the 2020–21 season, with the club targeting another domestic title and progress in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
He led Apollon Ladies FC to the league championship with a perfect record of 64 points from 64 available and a goal difference of +105. The success made him the first Swedish manager to win league titles in two countries, and he was subsequently named Coach of the Year by the Pan-Cyprian Footballers Association (PASP).
On December 9, 2021, Racing Louisville FC announced Bjorkegren as their new head coach. The club had completed its first National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season only weeks earlier.
Bjorkegren was appointed coach of Ghana’s women’s national team, the Black Queens, on January 16, 2025. He was nominated for the 2025 CAF Women’s Coach of the Year award, while the team secured a bronze medal at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).