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Soccer News of Saturday, 12 July 2003

Source: Soccer Express

Ziese Leaves Kotoka Under Police Guard

German coach, Burkhard Ziese, left the Kotoka International Airport under a tight police guard last Wednesday on his arrival from Kigali, Rwanda where his team, the Black Stars failed to qualify for the 2004 African Cup of Nations. Even before the plane touched down, the officers from the Police Service numbering about ten had arrived at the airport to protect the coach in anticipation of any attack on him.

The coach who declined to comment on his future with Ghana was surrounded by five officers at the arrival hall of the airport as players and other officials including the Minister of State at the Ministry of Youth, Education and Sports, Rashid Bawa looked on.

The coach told pressmen at the airport that he would meet his employers soon before coming out with a statement.

As the German picked his luggage ready to leave for home, the security officers detailed to protect him descended with him down from the arrival hall of the Kotoka International Airport. They then joined Burkhard in his car as other security officials followed them in their pick-ups.

Ziese after the game in Rwanda is reported to have started planning for the 2006 World Cup qualifier against Somalia but his days as coach of Ghana look numbered as attempts to give him the sack are in motion. Some officials of the FA are already calling for a new coach, possibly another foreigner.

Soccer Express investigations have revealed that the German coach is already a goner after his second adventure in Ghana failed. Majority of the playing body have lost confidence in him and he may be forced to resign to avoid a summary dismissal.

But other officials are also making frantic efforts to consolidate the German's stay saying Ghana needs to begin all over again if we are to appoint a new coach and that will affect the country's 2006 World Cup aspirations. They claim most of the foreign-based players are not committed to the national team and that also contributed to our failure to qualify from a group that included two less fancied soccer nations in Africa.

FA boss, Ben Koufie who in a post match interview stated that he saw the defeat coming and even did not listen to radio commentary says he is yet to recover from the shock of Ghana's defeat.

Ben Koufie however says his association would not rush into taking a decision concerning the future of the coach.

The tough-talking German was appointed coach of Ghana in February for the second time in Ghana's history. He guided the Black Stars to qualify for the African Nations Cup in Senegal in 1992 after eight years in the "wilderness" but this time round he has failed, as Ghana could not qualify for the prestigious event on the African soccer calendar.