Kumasi, Jan 15, GNA - There was a high turn out of spectators at the Opoku Ware School Park in Kumasi on Monday as the Zambian senior national team, the 'Chipolopolo' embarked on their first training session to condition the players ahead of the Ghana 2008 tournament, which kicks off on January 20.

Zambia, the first country to arrive in the country for the tournament are paired in Group 'C' alongside Egypt, Cameroon and Sudan and are lodged at the Kumasi Golden Tulip Hotel. Clad in orange jerseys, the players were taken through jogging, inter-positional passes, stretching, loosening of muscles and some drills.

Most of the fans who turned up at the training grounds applauded every move of the players, especially skipper Chris Katongo, who incidentally will miss the team's opening match against Sudan at the Baba Yara Stadium on January 22.

Katongo was officially ruled out of his team's match against Sudan after was said to have received two yellow cards in the Chipolopolo's qualifying matches against DR Congo and South Africa. In an interview with the GNA Sports after the teams' training session, the Team Manager, Solly Pandor rejected suggestions that the absence of their skipper might affect the team's performance in their opening match.

"We have not built our team around one particular player or individual as we have an all round team", Pandor told the GNA Sports and insisted that Zambia was determined to beat Sudan and go ahead to qualify to the next stage of the competition.

Zambia finished as runners-up in the 1974 and 1994 African Cup of Nations tournaments in the then Zaire and Tunisia venues respectively, and the Team Manager believes the current team has what it takes to repeat history and if possible win the Cup.

"We have been in camp since December last year and are in a better shape to take on any opposition", he said. Pandor urged supporters of the team to rally solidly behind them to enable them put up a sterling performance in the tournament. 15 Jan. 08