Ghana's Burkhard Ziese is unhappy about the poor goalkeeping he is faced with as national coach. The German in an interview on national television last Monday admitted that the quality of goaltenders he has at present are below par when measured against the ones he met 12 years ago.

Burkhard currently has local goalkeepers, Abubakari Kankani of Obuasi Goldfields and the duo of James Nanor and Sammy Adjei(pictured) from Accra Hearts of Oak to pick from.

According to the coach the level of competition for places amongst the local goalkeepers is not the best as compared to the days when he had at his disposal Ghana's number one Edward Ansah, Nanabanyin Crenstil and Abubakari Damba. Burkhard Ziese however appears to have settled on Richard Kingston who now features consistently in the Turkish league as Ghana's number one goalkeeper.

Soccer Express sources indicate that Sammy Adjei could not make the mark for the five players the German coach has placed on standby in the wake of any injury sustained by a player. Further investigations by the Soccer Express indicate that the five players on the German coach's stand-by include Asante Kotoko's trio of Joe Hendricks, Michael Asante and Isaac Boakye. The remaining two are goalkeepers James Nanor and Abubakari Kankani.

Burkhard who intimated during the television programme that he was so far unimpressed with the quality of football exhibited in the Top Four with the exception of the Kotoko-Hearts match and to a lesser extent the Liberty -Hearts match last Saturday, has called up 21 foreign-based Ghanaian internationals for Ghana's participation in the four-nation tournament to be hosted by Tunisia next week. The German says only one local player would join the 21 players invited to make the final list of 22.

According to the head coach, the team will depart Accra on Sunday afternoon and transit through Germany before arriving in Tunis late Tuesday. He hinted that should all go well his select side might play a friendly against a German Bundesliga side before emplaning to Tunis.

The only local player yet to be named for the Black Stars trip to Tunis is likely to be a goalkeeper to assist Richard Kingston. Among the foreign-based players called up include Sam Johnson and Sammy Kuffour who are both making a return to the Black Stars after been left out for over a year now.

Other players likely to make the team are German-based striker Lawrence Aidoo of the Bundesliga side Borussia M?nchengladbach and midfielder Godfried Aduobe of Hansa Rostock. Both would be making their debut for the national team of Ghana late this month if they honour the call-up.

Ziese's team for the competition which is predominantly Europe-based include Italy-based Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien of French side FC Bastia, Greece-based Derek Boateng and Peter Ofori-Quaye. The Tunis four-nation invitational tournament begins from the 27th to 29 March. Other participating countries are Cameroon and Guinea. Explaining the rationale behind his selection of mostly internationally based professionals for the Tunisia tournament, Ziese said once he has had a first hand opportunity to access the local players it was important that he gets an opportunity to access the foreign-based ones at a venue more convenient for them. He did not confirm, however if all the 21 internationals would be available.

The tournament requires all participating teams to present 22 players and for each match seven permissible substitutions, a role that would be given to assistant coach Isaac Paha who will be in charge of at least the first match against Tunisia when his boss will be on his way to Kigali to watch the Uganda-Rwanda African Cup of Nations qualifier. Ghana's next opponent in the qualifiers is Uganda who beat in Ghana in the first round match in Kampala.