Former Ghana international Stephen Frimpong Manso has lauded former Black Stars Coach Burkhard Ziese for bringing discipline and improving the team’s conditions during his tenure in the 1990s.
Frimpong Manso, who played for the Black Stars from 1987 to 1994, shared his experiences with Joy Sports, highlighting the significant improvements Ziese made from 1990 to 1993.
Recalling the subpar facilities and living conditions the players faced during training camps, Frimpong Manso noted that these issues were often overlooked by the Sports Ministry and other authorities. He attributed the positive changes to Ziese’s proactive efforts.
“He [Burkhard Ziese] brought in discipline. There were a lot of things that weren’t right at that time. But he came [and] changed everything. And then that was where we started winning…discipline-wise, it wasn’t the best and also, and he was also fighting for players’ welfare,” said Frimpong Manso.
“He would fight with the authorities, the ministry, [and] everybody, to get what he wanted…sometimes we will be playing like we are playing, let’s say, Ivory Coast. We will be staying at Winneba. They will come here. They put him in a five-star hotel…but the home team, rather, are not treated well.”
