GFA Denies Giving Ziese The Job

The search for a substantive coach for the senior national team, the Black Stars, seems to be in limbo with officials of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ministry denying Wednesday's newspaper reports that German, Burkhard Ziese, has been named for the top job.

Mr Edward Osei-Kwaku, Youth and Sports Minister says the matter was rather under consideration and a substantive coach would be named by the close of Wednesday. He could not say who would be named but said a meeting was scheduled latter on Wednesday between his ministry and the GFA to finalise the issue.

The GFA had earlier rejected all three coaches - Emmanuel Kwasi Afranie, Manuel Gomez of Portugal and Ziese - because they "were not qualified".

Investigations, however, have shown that the minister who earlier frowned on an expatriate coach for the stars is being pressurised to name Burkhard Ziese. And in order to let it look authentic, the minister was alleged to have asked the GFA to issue a statement to that effect but the GFA has refused since this would have contradicted their earlier stand.

The investigations revealed that Burkhard has been given the nod but no one wants to bell cat.

Burkhard is alleged to have had bad working relations with the former GFA on his first assignment with the Black Stars in 1991, which is the main reason why officials are reluctant in naming him.