Black Stars, GFA to confer over Africa and World cup qualifiers

Members of the senior national soccer team, the Black Stars and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) will meet in Accra before Christmas to deliberate on African and World cup qualifiers scheduled for January, next year.

The meeting, which is at the instance of the GFA, will centre on players' fitness and their availability for the two matches. Mr Kudjo Fianoo, Welfare Officer of the Stars, said the meeting has been scheduled at this time because all members of the national team would be in the country on holidays as the European Leagues go on winter break.

He said the meeting would afford the technical team an opportunity to exchange ideas with the players, assess their fitness and commence moves for their early release by their clubs. Mr Fianoo said he has been in constant touch with most of the players and they sound very enthusiastic and determined to qualify for the African and World cup finals.

The players will start arriving on December 18, he said, adding that they are all anxious to contribute their quota to a historic World Cup qualification and a fifth assault on the African Nations Cup.



On Udinese's Mohammed Gargo, who has been doing well in his club but missing from the Stars' line up lately, the Welfare Officer said he would arrive on December 21 "and from the look of things, Mohammed wants to re-join his colleagues and prosecute the World Cup campaign".

Mr Fianoo said with most of the boys doing well and attracting rave reviews from the media in Europe, Ghana's chances for a World Cup berth are very bright. "From indications, the boys are in superlative forms and with a good working relationship with the technical team, support and prayers of Ghanaians, we shall qualify for the Japan-Korea 2002 and lift the African Cup in Mali for the fifth time".

The Black Stars play DR Congo in Kinshasa on January 13 in an African Cup qualifier and host Liberia in a World Cup duel on January 27.