early 1996, found himself embroiled in more controversy this week on the eve of the African Nations Cup.

Ziese, who spent over a year as Bermuda's technical director before falling out with BFA chiefs after the much-publicised Miami Seven affair, is now the coach of top African side, Zambia.

But until a "truce'' yesterday between Ziese and Zambia's Kalusha Bwayla, one of African football's most famous products, it seemed the controversial German was heading for yet another showdown with a national governing body in what has been a stormy career.

Any realistic hopes the Zambians have of winning the Nations Cup were finally boosted when the men patched up a month's worth of differences.

Ziese, who has been coach of the team for the last four months, threatened to drop Bwalya unless the Mexican-based midfielder reported for a training camp just 14 days before the start of the competition in Burkina Faso.

The outspoken German threatened to invoke FIFA regulations and request a worldwide suspension of the former African Footballer of the Year.

Ziese was involved in a similiar situation in Bermuda in 1994 when he suspended national team goalkeeper Dwayne Adams for failing to attend two training sessions.

Ziese, claiming he was enforcing FIFA directives, suspended Adams indefinitely from playing with North Village and he missed an important league match.

Adams defied the ban and played as the Red Devils beat Dandy Town 2-0. The points were deducted but after ongoing dialogue between Village and the BFA, the suspension was rescinded, though the deducution of the points stood.

The matter went on for several weeks with North Village seeking legal advice and the BFA then appointing a three-man tribunal to investigate the dispute.

North Village claimed the suspension was unconstitutional and stood their ground. FIFA was also contacted.

Bwalya, who had just moved to a new club in Mexico, insisted on being given some leeway and being allowed to remain in Mexico for vital matches.

The slanging match shifted between Lusaka, the Gambia where the team were training for two weeks, and Mexico before it was settled this week.

Bwalya has apologised for arriving late to join the team and Ziese has backed off his threat to leave out the player they call the "Great Kalu''.

It means Bwalya returns for his fifth Nations Cup appearance and an opportunity to add some silverware to the individual honours he has already won over the last decade.

He will be in charge of a team quickly remodelled by Ziese after a series of trial matches and a brief tour of west Africa late last year. He has dropped some stalwarts, including Jonson Bwalya, and introduced a collection of uncapped players with much potential.

Zambia play in group D in Bobo Dioulasso where Ziese believes Morocco will be their main threat.

Not keen on any bold predictions, the confident German is nevertheless optimistic about getting his two-year contract off to a bright start.

For Bwalya, it is a similar opportunity, if only to add a final glittering chapter to a sparkling career.

Ziese has told reporters that success with Zambia would help compensate for the failure he suffered six years ago. He was in charge of the Ghanaian Black Stars in the qualifiers for the 1992 Nations Cup finals, but fell out with federation officials just before the tournament in Senegal and Ghana went onto reach the final under another German-born coach Otto Pfister.