Former Ghana international Stephen Frimpong Manso has voiced significant concerns about the treatment of Black Stars players during the 1990s.
As a former Bibiani Gold Stars coach and a player for the Black Stars from 1987 to 1994, Frimpong Manso shared his experiences with Joy Sports, highlighting the poor conditions players faced during training camps. He pointed out that the Sports Ministry and other authorities often neglected these issues.
Frimpong Manso credited former Ghana coach Burkhard Ziese for stepping in to improve the players’ situation.
“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.
“The conditions in Winneba at that time, everybody knew it wasn’t the best. The pitch was not good. Our food, we had problems with the food…but our opponents will be lodging at a five-star [hotel], where he will be fed. It didn’t make sense. So, he came [and] changed all those narratives and now they gave us good treatment before a game.
“There was a time we went to Obuasi for camping, and then somebody gave us some money. It was good money and then the ministry took the money to Accra. So he was troubled. Why are you taking the money that is meant for the players? So why do you have to take the money to Accra?
“When we moved to Accra, he took us to Labadi Beach Hotel, ordered food [and] drinks, and invited that same man [who had taken the money]. He didn’t know that the money that he took was the money that we were going to use to pay. So when we finished, he collected the bill, then he put them together and told him to go and pay.”
