How a National Sports Authority official bolted with donations for Black Stars players

Former Black Stars defender, Frimpong Manso has recounted how former Black Stars coach Burkhard Ziese set up an unnamed National Sports Authority(NSA) official to pay an enormous hotel bill as punishment for fleeing with Black Stars donations.

Frimpong Manso, speaking with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV, narrated that, the team had been gifted a cow and a sum of one million Ghana Cedis in the 1990s.

According to him, the team were in camp hence, the unnamed official received the donation on their behalf and then fled with it to Accra.

Frimpong Manso said, after their camping, Burkhad organised a get-together at Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra and invited the official, while making sure the cost of the party marched the amount the official escaped with.

"There was time, I think Burkhard this that thing. We were gifted a cow and one million Ghana cedis. We were camping in Obuasi, so it was an NSA official who received the gifts. We thought the guy will bring it, but by the time we realised the guy was in Accra. Bukhard told us not to worry. So when we had a break from Camp, he took us to Labadi Beach and invited the guy to come over (for a party). He made sure the bill cost the same amount(the guy took). When they brought the bill, he directed them to the official to pay. The guy nearly went mad," he said with a big laugh.

The former Asante Kotoko player went ahead to acknowledge that, the German gaffer made many changes in the way the national team was ran, including training schedule and the players' attitude.

"He brought so many things that changed our attitude and other things. He introduced the 9 am training. Before him, we trained at 6 and 7 pm. The little that you will eat you will use it in training."

Burkhard Ziese was appointed as Black Stars' head coach in 1990. He held the role for two years before he was replaced by his compatriot Otto Pfister.

Burkhard passed away in 2010 at age 66 after battling illness.





EE/KPE