Dutchman joins the queue

DUTCHMAN Willem Leushuis is the latest to join the queue of hopefuls for the Black Stars coaching job.

Leushuis, who for 10 years was a University lecturer in Physical Education, has a reputation for attacking football and handling youth teams and training coaches.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is yet to take a definite stand on the future technical direction of the national team. Coach Emmanuel Kwasi Afranie remains in charge in a caretaker capacity and his future with the team also remains uncertain.

Despite the cloud of uncertainty surrounding the hot seat, the GFA's fax machine has been kept busy lately with applications from European coaches interested in handling the Black Stars. German Burkhard Ziese, Scotsman Ian Porterfield and two former Ghanaian internationals, Mohammed Polo and Abdul Razak, have all renewed their interest in taking over the technical direction of the Black Stars.

The latest to join the queue of hopefuls is Dutchman Willem Ho Leushuis who has forwarded his name to the GFA from his Holland base.

The 50-year-old Dutchman has an impressive track record as a player and coach which he hopes would tilt the scale in his favour, following the unceremonious exit of Yugoslav coach, Millan Zivadinovic in September.

Multi-lingual and fluent in English, Dutch, German, French and Arabic, Leushuish’s coaching experience cuts across Europe and Asia. Ghana could therefore become his first destination in Africa.

In the last 11 years Ghana has experimented with eight coaches of six different nationalities, including Dutchman Rinus Israel, who resigned from the post after the 1998 African Cup of Nations tournament.

Leushuis' coaching career took off at Dutch division one side, Willem II, where he was the assistant coach of the second team for three years (1992-1995).

From Willem II, he moved up to take full charge of another Dutch division one side, Helmond Sport, for two years, before joining giants PSV Eindhoven where he was head coach and technical director between 1997 and 2002. At PSV he worked with renowned English coach Bobby Robson.

His Asian adventure took him to the United Arab Emirates where he handled top side Al Jazira and then moved to Kuwait to take charge of Qadsia last year.

As a coach, Leushuis has chalked quite a handful of successes, especially with PSV who became 1998 Dutch champions under his charge, and winning the Prime Minister's Cup in Kuwait and runner-up in the league.

The Dutchman also had an eventful 17-year playing career with E.V.V. Eindhoven (1969-1974), FC Den Bosch (1975-1978), FC Wageningen (1979-1983), all of Holland and moved to neighbouring Belgium for five years to handle Belgian sides Geel (1984-1987) and Beringen(1988-1990).