The Ghana Football Association (GFA), following the dismal performance of its national team, Black Stars, in the just concluded Castle Cup tournament in Kenya, has been gripped by fear that the country may not qualify for the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup afterall.

P.M.Sport was reliably informed by competent sources in the Ghanaian capital, Accra that the Chairman, Alhaji Dauda Jawula and his colleagues at the GFA are not taking kindly the woeful outing of the Black Stars at the Castle Cup, where they ended up as the whipping team.

An impeccable source close to the association disclosed that Alhaji Jawula and other GFA topshots have been growing grey hairs over the development.

The source stated further that the GFA board, despite the fact that the Black Stars squad that prosecuted the invitational tournament in Kenya was entirely home-based, fear that unless drastic steps are taken, the country may not hoist its flag in the Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup.

According to him, the fear of the GFA bigwigs stemmed from the fact that the Black Stars played against hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, countries the GFA officials considered as soccer minnows.

Aside this, he explained that the impressive performance of a predominantly home-based Super Eagles in the Mali 2002 African Nations Cup qualifier, in which it has so far won and drawn a match against Namibia and Madagascar respectively, has also put the GFA in an uncomfortable position.

He, however, posited that the unimpressive performance of the Black Stars in the Castle Cup has now prompted the association to step up talks with a German coach who is being prevailed upon to handle the team for both the World Cup and African Nations' Cup qualifiers.

At the moment, the Ghanaians who have only played one match are leading Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan in their World Cup qualifying group.