.... Koufie says he's a sick man
.... Liars, Bad & Mean People at GFA - Zeise
Coach Burkhard Ziese is tenaciously holding on as helmsman of the Black Stars stating that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has no basis for terminating his appointment. He said this at an ill-tempered press conference intermitted with verbal exchanges between him and Mr Kojo Quashie of the GFA.

The 59-year old German who supported his claim with lots of dossiers bordering mainly on administrative issues rather than his contract, threatened to expose the GFA for allegedly paying his salary out of the FIFA's goal project fund, which he claimed was illegal. The coach, who was contracted in March this year, was last month given a month's notice of termination of appointment this September on grounds of poor performance.

But Burkhard who is having his second spell in Ghana, is contesting the issue of poor performance saying that the clause was deleted from a revised contract after he together with GFA Chairman Ben Koufie, agreed and subsequently appended their signatures to that effect. He, therefore, said it will be wrong for the GFA to fire him on the basis of that clause since the GFA had previously breached the contract 53 times.

The desperate coach, veered off his main subject and attacked the GFA on internal matters like the Charles Taylor transfer saga, alleging conjugal activities of invited players of the national teams and alleged that the GFA bribed international referees in matches involving the national teams.

Mainstream into the two-and-half hour-long press conference, Burkhard spill the beans and verbally attacked Quarshie as the main brain behind Ghana's soccer woes and ordered him to leave the room. "Me to leave the room in my own country, you are joking", the visibly angry Quarshie said and stuck glued to his seat.

Occasionally, Quarshie stood on his feet in an attempt to react to any allegation made by Burkhard in his presentation.

The expatriate coach accused the GFA of interference citing the case of veteran goalkeeper Edward Ansah in the Four Nation tournament in Nigerian saying, he only proposed him as an assistant coach for goalkeepers but GFA imposed the veteran on him to keep the posts. He alleged that the GFA denied him work permit, a valid driver's license and residence permit, contrary to the contract saying, " I've been dealing with liars, bad and mean people".

Burkhard, however apologized to Ghanaians for the poor showing against Rwanda, which subsequently caused the country next year's Africa Nation's Cup slated for Tunisia.

But in a counter press briefing, Mr Koufies referred to the coach as "the biggest lair and a sick man who does not know what he is about." Reacting to the allegations, the GFA boss said the association gave the coach 14,000 dollars as loan out of the FIFA's fund to enable him attend to his sick mother after his (Coach) bankers had difficulties in transferring his money.

" He later paid back the money which was deposited into the FIFA account", Mr Koufie said.

The GFA boss said the coach by his allegation has exposed his ignorance to the uses of the FIFA Fund, which is used for development of the game including remunerating coaches.

He said due to the GFA's transparency in the disbursement of the fund, FIFA had released the final quota.

On the contract, Mr Koufie said Burkhard only drafted the proposed revised contract after the original one has been concluded.

The GFA Chairman said his outfit was unable to secure a work permit for the coach because he had lost his passport and said the authorities don't issue permits on traveling certificates.

On the imposition of goalkeeper Eddie Ansah, the GFA boss said prior to the tournament in Nigeria, Burkhard had included the goalkeeper's name as an assistant coach but was rejected by Mr Kofi Nsiah, GFA General Secretary on grounds that his (Eddie) appointment had not been approved by the GFA's Executive Council.

Subsequently, Mr Nsiah advised that his name be added to list of players but with the intension of him performing the role as assistant goalkeeper's trainer and not to play.

Mr Koufie asked the coach to count himself lucky not to have been given the sack after the Nigerian tournament where he misconducted himself after he unilaterally forced the players to boycott the third play-off match.