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Soccer News of Wednesday, 20 December 2000

Source: p.m. news (lagos)

Ghanaian Keeper Signs For Pelicans

Ghana's first choice goal-keeper and African female football's safest pair of hands, Memunatu Habibatu Suleimanah has declared her intention to play herself into the hearts of Nigerian Soccer fans.

In a chat with P.M. Sport, she said "I have always been a serious person, I face my job squarely and try to do it to the best of my ability. Like I did in Ghana, I hope to play myself into the hearts of Nigeria's soccer fans soonest" she said.

She averred that the reason she has decided to ply her trade in Nigeria with Pelican Stars is that her club in Ghana refused to improve "Nigeria's league is very strong, stronger than Ghana's because the club in Ghana have refused to improve and that is the main reason why I came to Pelican Stars".

She also revealed that playing in the Nigerian league will help her assess her performance appropriately since she will be playing against tougher oppositions.

The 23-year-old goalkeeper who claimed her father hails from Kano State, has promised to put up a tough fight in a bid to become Pelican's first choice keeper. "I have to concentrate on my game, I have to take everything with open mind and not think of myself as a stranger. So I just have to be serious but if Ann thinks that because she has been number one for a long time and she is not serious she will be surprised because I will become Pelican's number one and consign her to the bench" Suleimanah boasted.

Unlike the Falcon's who were not appreciated by the presidency, she revealed that the Black Queens were given 18 million cedis for coming third during the African Women Championship held in South African and another 8.5 million cedies for qualifying for the USA '99 Women World Cup.

She sees her career in Nigeria as a chance to discover the weakness of some of the Falcons' players whom she claimed are her friends.