“We will cross this hurdle” – Mercy Tagoe reacts to Black Queens’ draw with Nigeria in 2022 AWCON qualifier

Coach of the Black Queens, Mercy Tagoe Quarcoo, says her side is aware of the quality and pedigree of the Super Falcons of Nigeria ahead of the first round of the 2022 African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifier.

Ghana have been paired with Nigeria in a draw which was held today at the CAF headquarters in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

Both have traditionally participated in each of the CAF Women’s AFCON tournaments since the inaugural edition in 1991.

However, Mercy Tagoe has stated that her side isn’t scared of the threat Nigeria poses and has revealed that they are going to prepare assiduously to face the Falcons and hope for a qualification.

“I am not really scared of Nigeria. Though Ghana and Nigeria are rivals on the continent, in Africa currently they are the best but sometimes situations can change which sometimes is mind-boggling. This is football, it’s played on the turf…We have relegated ourselves to the background for far too long, we hosted but we couldn’t succeed, we couldn’t even qualify from our group,” she told Ghanasportspage.com in an interview.

“This is becoming a scar and we need to clear it so we will do everything possible to cross this hurdle at the right time”

“When I realised we’ve been paired with Nigeria, I laughed because Ghana is a big country as well as Nigeria in terms of football so why didn’t it been the final of the competition but this early. Whatever it is, we will face Nigeria so we have to prepare”

With the qualifying series divided into zones, one of the African powerhouses in football, Nigeria or Ghana, who are both housed in WAFU Zone B, will miss out in the tournament next year and Tagoe believes that will not affect the tournament.

“Football now is not about names, look at Zambia, a country no one gave a chance has now qualified to the Olympics. The likes of Botswana and the rest are playing very good football when I last watched the COSAFA Cup so if it’s about names then Ghana should have been present at every World Cup and reach the finals of every AWCON tournament but now people have realised that, aside football bringing people together, it is also a big-time business so everyone is investing hugely in it to get far so whether Ghana or Nigeria goes out, there’s a certain Cote d’Ivoire, Zambia, Cameroon and the likes but I believe Ghana should cross this hurdle”

Nigeria are the defending champions while Ghana hosted the tournament in 2018.

The winner of the first-round tie between Nigeria and Ghana will face Niger or Cote d’Ivoire in the second round.

The AWCON, which will be hosted by Morocco, will also serve a qualifier for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.