Soccer News of Thursday, 1 September 2005

Source: Raymond Yeboah

Don't star-gaze -Cranes coach

Chelsea?s Michael Essien will be the star attraction on Sunday, but Cranes coach Mohammed Abbas has warned his players they will pay dearly if they admire the Ghana star.

?If you only see Essien it?s a big mistake. We cannot afford to just keep our eyes on one,? Abbas warned his players before they left for Ghana yesterday. The team is in Accra, and connects to Kumasi today.

Uganda?s defensive problems could mount as captain Ibra Sekagya says he can only arrive Kumasi on Sunday because of flight connections while Timothy Batabaire is expected tomorrow from South Africa.

Abbas will demand a performance on a par with the one that saw Cranes notching an away 1-1 draw against Ghana in 2003. DR Congo hammered Uganda 4-0 in their last away game.