Milan Zivadinovic: The Yugoslavian Black Stars coach who absconded after just four months

Once upon a time, the Ghana Football Association appointed a Yugoslavian as a coach for the Black Stars. His era marked one of the most dramatic moments in Ghana's football history.

His name is Milan Zivadinovic and he is not remembered for losing or winning matches but rather for how he quit his role as head coach of the Black Stars and Black Meteors.

Ziva, as he was fondly called, was appointed in May 2002 on a two-year deal to head the Black Stars and Meteors' technical departments.

Ziva replaced Fred Osam Duodu, who was fired in February 2002 after Ghana's exit from the Nations Cup in Mali at the quarter-final stage.

According to a Graphic Sports report, Ziva, who received $15,000 as a signing-on fee, was placed on a $10,000 monthly salary with the then-luxurious Wangara Hotel as his base.

Four months after he was appointed, Ziva left his post without permission from the Ghana Football Association, which Ben Koufie headed at the time.

Ziva, as per a Graphic Sports report on September 19, 2002 embarked on an Absent Without Leave (AWOL) following the cancellation of a Black Meteors match against Liberia.

The BBC report captures events then as "Ghana's Yugoslav coach Milan Zivadinovic has left his job after he was refused leave by the country's football association to return home. The GFA denied Zivadinovic permission to travel to attend to family matters after a meeting with the chairman Ben Koufie on Tuesday.

"An infuriated GFA executive body immediately summoned an emergency meeting on Wednesday in which the future of the coach was discussed. In a statement issued late in the evening, the GFA said a decision would be reached in the next few days over what to do about the situation."

In an interview with Accra-based Joy FM, the then vice president of the Ghana Football Association, Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, revealed that the FA denied the Yugoslavian coach a request for leave.

"When Ziva met the chairman he was told that there are important assignments ahead in the next few weeks and it is inappropriate for him to travel now. We have a match against Rwanda in the Nations Cup qualifiers next month after the Black Stars lost 1-0 in the first match against Uganda, so he has to stay and prepare the team."

Ziva resigns

On September 24, 2002, Ziva sent a letter to the Ghana Football Association, announcing his resignation as head coach of the Black Stars and Black Meteors.

According to the Graphic report, Ziva, at the time of his resignation, had pocketed the $15,000 signing-on fee plus three months salary, which summed up to $45,000.

In a subsequent interview with the BBC, Ziva cited interference and unfavourable weather conditions, which caused him illness, as reasons for his departure.

"I was never given a free hand to do my work. My contract stated that if I was not satisfied with conditions in the first six months, I could leave."

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