Coach Guissepe Dossena's contract terminated

Accra (Greater Accra) -Italian, Guissepe Dossena, head coach of the senior national soccer team, the Black Stars will not be re-engaged when his contract expires on July 31.

The decision was taken at a marathon meeting held on Monday at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and attended by the full complement of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) executive board and a Ministerial Advisory Board, headed by the sector minister, Mr Enoch T. Mensah.

According to Mr Kofi Aggrey, Public Relations Officer of the ministry, who was mandated by the minister to brief GNA Sports about the outcome of the meeting, the decision was based on Dossena's performance in international tournaments.

He said another criterion used was his aggregate output in the qualification matches for the All African Games and the Sydney Olympic Games. Mr Aggrey said the GFA's assessment of the coach was 67.75 per cent, a strong case for retention, which was based on personality, relationship with officials and press, relationship with players, technical knowledge of coaching and Technical ability on the job during matches.

He said the GFA attributed the Black Stars' massacre of Sierra Leone and continuity as other strong points for the re- engagement of the coach. According to the PRO, the matter was subsequently decided by a vote, which went against Dossena.

Coach Dossena was hired two years ago as head coach of the Black Stars. He however assumed control of the Olympic team, the Black Meteors, the National Under 21 side and the Black Satellites but failed to qualify the teams for the Sydney Olympic Games and the All African Games.

His best performance with the Satellites was a semi-final loss to Spain in the World Youth Tournament in Nigeria last year. Dossena led the Black Stars to draw 0-0 with European giants Holland in Amsterdam, defeated the Pharoes of Egypt 2-1 in Cairo and recorded a creditable draw with Greece in Athens.

Just a fortnight ago, he led the Black Stars in a 5-0 annihilation of the Leon Stars of Sierra Leone in a World Cup qualifier. Ghana has been dogged with the hiring and firing of foreign coaches and within the last eight years, the axe has fallen on Germans, Bukhard Ziesse and Otto Pfiser, Brazilian Ishmael Kuntz and Dutch man Rinus Israel among others.