"We are not afraid of Falcons" - Paha

Accra, Aug 6, GNA - The trainer of Ghana's Black Queens, Isaac Paha has said his chargers are "up in arms" ahead of their crucial Olympic Games qualifier against the Super Falcons of Nigeria on Sunday, August 12.

The Queens hosts the Super Falcons in the round-robin competition at the renovated El-Wak Stadium in Accra that takes the winner to the Beijing championship in 2008 in a task the coach says is surmountable. Coach Paha told GNA Sports in an interview that the Queens are not afraid of the pedigree of the continental champions who are favoured by connoisseurs ahead of the envisaged crucial meeting.

"The team looks up to me and all I have done is to promote a positive atmosphere around them because I don't see why we cannot win". The Ghanaians will be hoping to post their first win over the strong and much fancied Super Falcons since a similar meeting in Accra in 2004. Coach Paha said the team was undergoing a fine strategy aimed at reversing their 0-1 defeat to their rivals when they met at the finals of the 2006 African Women Championship at Warri, Delta States, Nigeria last November.

He told GNA Sports "it will be out of place for anyone to underestimate us because we were the vanquished side when we last met. "Football is a progressive sport and one cannot use previous results to measure a present meeting".

Ace goalkeeper, Meimunatu Sulemana will be a new addition to the team that lost to the Nigeria in November and her presence is expected to be positive news for the success ambitions of the Queens.