Guinea's warning for opponents Ghana

Guinea has sent is strongest warning to hosts Ghana that they will not be pushovers in their opening African Cup of Nations Group A next Sunday.

The Sylli National thrashed fellow Nations Cup finalists Sudan 6-0 in the most one-sided warm-up so far for the tournament.

Souleymane Youla from French Ligue 1 strugglers Lille struck four goals and Ukraine-based fellow striker Ismael Bangoura and midfielder Victor Correa from French lower league club Cherbourg scored once each in the southern city.

Sudan, who return to the biennial Nations Cup this month after a 32-year absence, have fared poorly here in friendlies, crashing 5-2 to Belgian club Genk before a 2-0 defeat by a virtual second-string Nigeria team.

But coach Mohamed Abdallah, a national hero after the Sudanese 'Desert Hawks' topped a qualifying group ahead of 2004 champions Tunisia, was not concerned by the latest hiding.

"We have been playing a friendly match every two days and my players are tired. These results are not a true reflection of the team that will perform in Ghana," he stressed.

Guinean joy at winning their sole warm-up was diluted by the loss from the squad of defender Kevin Constant of French club Toulouse as world body FIFA has not yet established that his mother was born in the west Africa country.

Another Ligue 1 defender, uncapped teenager Mamadou Bah of Strasbourg, replaces France-born Constant as Guinea prepare for Group A clashes against fomrer champions Ghana and Morocco and minnows Namibia.

Sudan, whose last appearance was at the 1976 Nations Cup in Ethiopia, are in Group C with defending champions Egypt, four-time title holders Cameroon and twice runners-up Zambia.