Stars Coach Promises To Crush Uganda

The Yugoslav coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars Milan Zivadinovic has promised to crush the Cranes of Uganda at their back yard when they host the Ghanaians on Saturday.

Addressing the sporting media on Tuesday, the coach said his confidence is based on the quality of players he has assembled and his ability to induce maximum commitment from them. He therefore asked journalists to complement his effort by showing determination in their reportage in order to lift Ghana football to the world stage. He said he chose the team based on his assessment during the friendly against Slovenia before the World Cup and the discussions he had with coaches of Ghanaian players in Europe.

Milan said another criterion he used was youth because he would like to prosecute the Olympic Games qualifiers successfully and qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The Yugoslav kissed the Ghana flag on his yellow T shirt and declared, "I am a Ghanaian, Ghana is my second home and I shall do everything possible to raise Ghana's football to the world level."

He said he is enthused by the response he has from most of the foreign-based players including Yakubu Abubakari of Ajax Amsterdam, Otto Addo of Borussia Dortmund and Christian Attah Gyan of Feyenoord of Rotterdam who felt honoured by his invitation.

Otto Addo and VFL Wolfsburg defender Hans Adu Sarpei were expected from Germany last night. However, the door has been slammed on Turkey-based striker Ohene Kennedy, whom Zivadinovic accused of refusing to respond to the national call. “He won’t be invited today,” the coach stressed on the player’s future with the team.

Milan said though talents abound in Ghana, progress has been scuttled by bureaucracy and unless it is eradicated the game would not grow, adding that he is determined to change the trend and called on players, coaches, administrators and journalists to join in the crusade.

The coach said it is his desire to add value to Ghanaian players in the international market and "this could only be done when we play in the World Cup. After that a player could be sold for $ 3,000,000." He advised against early departure of players to Europe because unknown players would only attract very little compared to those who have played at the world stage.

The coach said he would appreciate the return of foreign based players to the local league before they retire so that the up and coming stars would play with them and learn a few things from them to improve their own standards.

Skipper Stephen Appiah assured Ghanaians that the Black Stars would redeem their image during his tenure and promised that the match in Uganda would provide a testimony for their resolve.