Amoako and Appiah left in the cold

(From Veronica Commey, GNA Special Correspondent, Hanover, Germany]

Hanover, Oct. 21, GNA - Black Queens' stalwart defender, Olivia Amoako has been left out of Coach E. K. Edusie's final list of 21 players for the 7th African Women Championship (AWC} slated for South Africa at the end of the month.

Coach Edusie has been forced by the deadline of the Confederation of African Football (CAF] for the team to submit its list to leave out the gifted central defender from the team which aims at taking the two week tourney by storm.

Amoako was scheduled to meet up with the team alongside Silvia Appiah from their base in the United States of America to fight for places in the team but the coach has been compelled to halt the process to meet the CAF deadline.

Coach Edusie therefore regrets the lost opportunity to give the two a platform to compete for slots in his 21 member team and told GNA Sports that he has been left with no choice in the face of the CAF deadline.

The two, together with former captain, Ajoa Bayor were the only three professionals expected to join the 24 others that arrived in Hanover late Wednesday for a final brush up for the South Africa challenge. As it is now, Bayor remains the only professional in the 21 member team that walks into the tourney with Group games against defending Champions, Equatorial Guinea, Algeria and Cameroon. Amoako has warmed herself into the team as a pillar in defence alongside Aminatu Ibrahim and though the team will be without her amazing efficiency, Coach Edusie insists he has enough depth in the team without the US based central defender.

The defender was part of the team that picked silver in Nigeria and the team that exited at the group stage at the last tourney in Equatorial Guinea at which the host won the competition as debutants. The two finalists at the October 31 to November 14 tourney will automatically qualify for the quadrennial FIFA Women's World Cup slated for Germany next summer.