Michael oti Adjei BBC Sport, Accra

Barreto is confident of Ghana's chances

The war of words between Ghana and Zambia has intensified ahead of this weekend's decisive Olympic qualifier in Kumasi.

This follows the decision by world football's governing body Fifa to reject out of hand a request by Zambia to have the match officials from Togo changed.

The Zambians had questioned the impartiality of the referees on the grounds that the two West African neighbours share a common border.

But this has provoked a furious response from Ghanaian officials. They have accused the Zambians of playing mind games in a bid to enhance their chances of qualifying for Athens.

Fifa rejects Zambia request

"When we played them in Lusaka, the match officials were from Botswana but we didn't complain," fumed Akwesi Acheampong, head of the management committee of Ghana's Olympic team, the Black Meteors.

He raged: "We just got on the field and fought for what we wanted. We can assure the Zambians that there'll be no tricks in this match."

When we played them in Lusaka, the match officials were from Botswana but we didn't complain. Akwesi Acheampong, head of the management committee of Ghana's Olympic team

Ghana and Zambia are both locked on ten points going into the weekend's clash. But the southern Africans top the group by virtue of a superior goal difference.

A draw in Kumasi on Sunday will be good enough for Zambia to qualify for the Athens Olympics while Ghana must win to go through.

Ghana, winners of Africa's first Olympic football medal when they took bronze at the 1992 Olympiad, missed out on Sydney 2000.

But national coach Mariano Barreto told BBC Sport that he is confident of his side's chances of qualifying on Sunday.

The Portuguese coach said: "I can't say for sure if Ghana will win. What I know is that my players will fight until the last minute and do everything possible to get to Athens."

Barreto can count on six foreign-based players, including Olympique Lyon's Michael Essien, to deliver the goods.

The others are Razak Ibrahim from Italian outfit Empoli, the Israel-based duo of John Paintsil and Emmanuel Pappoe as well as Razak Pimpong who is based in Denmark.