Mr. Kingsley Osei Bonsu, alias Zico, the immediate past Chairman of troubled Brong Ahafo United Football Club has finally relinquished his interest in staying put at the helm of affairs of the one time Apostles of Power Soccer, and says he will this morning take steps to give the team the room to operate. He has decided to submit all Card As of the team's players in his possession to the Ghana Football Association for onward transmission to the current administrators of the club. He will however be submitting a bill for 409 million alongside the cards as monies owed him from investments he made for the growth of the club.

The bill, he says, is the conclusions of an audited account of his stewardship and he would make it a condition that, whoever picks up the Card As, settles that bill as well.

Zico's decision comes in the wake of a decision by the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister to mediate in the impasse. The minister has requested audience with the two feuding parties and representatives of the Professional League Board (PLB) tomorrow and as we went to press it had been confirmed that PLB Chairman, Sylvester Twintoh Mensah had been nominated to attend the meeting.

Zico told the Soccer Express in the evening of yesterday that he would this morning be submitting the Card A of the players of the team, which had been in his custody since he was ejected from office at the close of the 2002 league season. His refusal to release the cards to the faction now running the club and led by former international 'King' George Arthur resulted in the club's inability to register the old players. United therefore tackled their first league match at Sunyani against Prestea Mine Stars with a few new players signed on by George Arthur. The result was a goalless drawn game. Moments before Zico told the Soccer Express of his intentions, George Arthur himself was contemplating measures to get the FA to issue the club with new Card As to enable him normalise the status of the old players.

He was confident he would accomplish the registration of the players before the team tackles its next game against Kpando Heart of Lions at Kpando on Sunday. Soccer Express has learnt that what may be prolonging the impasse is that though the Board of Directors of United have agreed in principle that Zico should present audited accounts plus receipts for the club to reimburse him, his initial demand for an upfront payment of 200 million is seen as unreasonable and impossible.

The impasse has so divided the front of the club that at one time the team was divided with one half under the leadership of Zico and the other under Arthur. It also threatened to eat into the established confines of the regional chieftaincy institution.

Arbitration last week by the Ghana Football Association aimed at bringing the two sides to settle their differences failed and thus threw the future of the club in the balance. It is still unclear how the differences would iron out with this new development.