Stars coach to control player-exodus, names Stephen Appiah captain
Probe instituted into ticket racketeering at Koforidua Stadium
Accra (Greater Accra) 28 June 2002 - Millan Zivadinovic, the new coach of the senior national team, the Black Stars, has expressed his desire to control the exodus of local players to European clubs at relatively give away prizes.
Speaking to the press, the coach said Ghana's local players do not wait to develop their potentials to the full before leaving to join the professional wagon hence they accept everything thrown at them which results in their warming benches. "It is my wish from henceforth that any player who leaves the shores of Ghana to play outside would command respect and have the same transfer fees as South American players."
"To this end I would make sure that every member of my team who desires to leave for any foreign club would have to do with my recommendation without which the player would not be allowed to move out." He said he would do a lot of monitoring of all local players and liase with their coaches as a way of making sure that they are seeing football regularly. "I would keep a file on every player that comes into my team and monitor how he responds to training at his club level."
On the foreign-based players, Zivadinovic said he would personally travel to their foreign clubs and discuss their performance with their coaches and have a first hand look at their performance instead of relying on others for information. "With this the issue where foreign based players complain that the proper channels are not used when inviting them to play for the national team would not arise again since there would be a good rapport between me and their coaches.
"We would also have regular camps in Europe when time permits and play international friendly matches for the players to get the needed exposure and big match temperament."
Meanwhile the coach had his first training session on Thursday morning with 26 players made up of 15 foreign-based players and 11 locals. The training, which was intensive, took the form of shooting practice and tactical drills. The coach use the occasion to name A.C. Parma midfielder Stephen Appiah as captain of the Black Stars.
In a radio interview monitored by Ghana Review International, ‘Tornado’ Appiah said he was happy to be named as captain of the newly constituted national team which, in his view, is due to his discipline and dedication to the Stars. He expressed the hope that other members of the team would accord him the necessary cooperation to enable the Stars qualify for the 2004 Cup of Nations and the 2006 World Cup.
Asked of his thoughts on the coach, Appiah said he has been impressed with the little that they have has seen and if things continue at this pace, "we should all be optimistic of success." "The training schedule is very hectic and sometimes punishing to some of us who are on vacation since we have not conditioned ourselves for such rigorous workouts."
On why most of his foreign-based compatriots have failed to turn up for the training, Appiah said most of them have already left for preseason training with their respective teams whiles those left have injury worries and have asked permission.
Charles Taylor, Heart's deputy skipper and current leader of the Premiership's goal king race at the half way stage with 12 goals also expressed his faith in the ability of the coach to deliver and thinks his emphasis on discipline would be good for the team. On whether he had some reservations after being controversially dropped from the 2002 African Cup squad, Taylor said the national team is for all Ghanaians and the final authority of who plays lies with the coach.
He assured everybody that once he has been recalled he would do all in his power to ensure that he remains an integral member of the team, adding that the final authority of who plays still rests on the coach.
Emmanuel Osei Kuffour of Accra Hearts Oak fame captained the Stars' at the last Africa Cup of Nations in Mali after Samuel Osei Kuffour of Bayern Munich had turned it down.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 June 2002 - The Professional League Board (PLB) has set up a five-member committee to probe allegations of ticket racketeering, which took place at the Koforidua Sports Stadium in the 14th mid-week league match between Maxbees and Asante Kotoko.
A release issued in Accra by the PLB, said the committee has one week to submit its report. It is headed by Mr. Frank Apeagyei, a member of PLB as well as the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA). Other members of the Committee are, Mr. Kwesi Acheampong a PLB member and Executive Council member of the GFA, Mr Kudjo Fianoo a representative of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) and a representative from the National Sports Council (NSC).
According to the release, the setting up of the committee follows reports which got to the PLB that club officials collected back tickets already sold and stamped the palms of buyers while they resold the same tickets even though the gates were not short of printed tickets.
In another development, the PLB referred referee M.D. Arthur of Cape Coast, who officiated in the match between Power FC and B.A. United on June 23 at Koforidua to the Referees' Committee for poor performance.
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