Once upon a time, the Ghana Football Association made an intriguing decision by appointing Milan Zivadinovic, a Yugoslavian coach, to lead the Black Stars.
His tenure became one of the most memorable chapters in Ghanaian football history.
Zivadinovic, affectionately known as Ziva, took charge in May 2002 on a two-year contract, overseeing both the Black Stars and Black Meteors teams.
His appointment came after Fred Osam Duodu’s dismissal following Ghana’s exit from the Nations Cup in Mali.
Reports from Graphic Sports indicate that Ziva received a $15,000 signing-on fee and a monthly salary of $10,000, with accommodation provided at the upscale Wangara Hotel.
However, just four months into his tenure, Ziva abruptly left his position without authorization from the Ghana Football Association, then led by Ben Koufie.
His departure coincided with the cancellation of a scheduled Black Meteors match against Liberia, leading to his classification as Absent Without Leave (AWOL), as reported by Graphic Sports on September 19, 2002.
The BBC report captures events as “Ghana’s Yugoslav coach Milan Zivadinovic has left his job after he was refused leave by the country’s football association to return home.
The GFA denied Zivadinovic permission to travel to attend to family matters after a meeting with the chairman, Ben Koufie, on Tuesday.
“An infuriated GFA executive body immediately summoned an emergency meeting on Wednesday in which the future of the coach was discussed. In a statement issued late in the evening, the GFA said a decision would be reached in the next few days over what to do about the situation.”
In an interview with Accra-based Joy FM, the then vice president of the Ghana Football Association, Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah, revealed that the FA denied the Yugoslavian coach a request for leave.
“When Ziva met the chairman, he was told that there are important assignments ahead in the next few weeks and that it is inappropriate for him to travel now. We have a match against Rwanda in the Nations Cup qualifiers next month after the Black Stars lost 1-0 in the first match against Uganda, so he has to stay and prepare the team.”
Ziva resigns
On September 24, 2002, Ziva sent a letter to the Ghana Football Association, announcing his resignation as head coach of the Black Stars and Black Meteors.
According to the Graphic report, Ziva, at the time of his resignation, had pocketed the $15,000 signing-on fee plus three months salary, which summed up to $45,000.
In a subsequent interview with the BBC, Ziva cited interference and unfavourable weather conditions, which caused him illness, as reasons for his departure.
“I was never given a free hand to do my work. My contract stated that if I was not satisfied with conditions in the first six months, I could leave.”