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31.05.2007 Football News

Meteors In Abuja To Face Nigeria

31.05.2007 LISTEN
By Daily Graphic

Ghana's Under-23 male football team, the Black Meteors, left Accra for Nigeria yesterday to round off preparations for Sunday's Olympic qualifier against their nemesis, Nigeria, in Abuja.

In anticipation of an uncompromising challenge from the Nigerians, Head Coach Jones Attuquayefio, has beefed up his squad with several foreign-based players after almost three-weeks training in Lome.

Stars duo, Asamoah Gyan and Haminu Dramani, Prince Tagoe, Michael Helegbe, Bernard Yao Kumordzi and Anthony Annan have all been named in the 18-man squad for Sunday's encounter.

All the invited players arrived over the weekend and left with the team for Abjua yesterday. Asamoah Gyan is expected to arrive tonight, while the top striker in the Ivorian league at the moment, Abdul Nafiu Iddrisu who plays for Asec Mimosas, has surprisingly been left out of the team.

South Africa and Ethiopia are the other group members who will also be in action on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Head of Competitions Services at FIFA, Gordon Savic, has stressed that there will be no changes in the scheduled dates for the Meteors and Ghana's female team, the Black Queens, during the Olympic qualifiers.

Earlier in the week, it was reported that the Queens, who will also be in action against DR Congo at Sunyani were to play on Saturday to make way for the Onetouch GHALCA Top Four on Sunday.

However, Mr Savic said both the Meteors and Queens games would be played on Sunday in Abuja and Sunyani respectively.

The Queens are already in Sunyani awaiting the arrival of the Congolese who are expected today.

The match officials for the Queens game — Referee Fadouma Dia, Assistants Florence Marie Aimee Biagui, Marieme Gueye and fourth referee Amina Fall, all from Senegal, as well as Match Commissioner Sheeba D. Brown, arrive tomorrow.

The officials for the Meteors-Nigeria match will be in Abuja today. They are all Moroccans and will be led by Abderrahim El Arjoun (referee). Redouane Achik and Abdelhak Quarqori will assist on the lines, with El Achiri Abdellah as the fourth referee.

The Match Commissioner is Souleymane Magassouba of Mali.

Story by Rosalind Amoh

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