A renowned Ghanaian football administrator Herbert Mensah reiterated his position on Wednesday that Ghana footballers could not perform well at the World Cup in South Africa as what they did in Germany four years ago.

The absence of midfielder Michael Essien and the lack of form of skipper Stephen Appiah, the two who hold the key to the Black Stars' performance, would not help the Ghanaian national team in South Africa. In an interview on Wednesday with Joy, one of the leading radio stations in Ghana, Mensah said he was a realist, who believed the same factors contributed to Ghana' heavy defeat at the hands of the Netherlands.

It was officially announced towards the end of last month that Michael Essien had been ruled out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup due to his knee and ankle injuries.

Mensah, a former Chief Executive Officer of one of Ghana's greatest clubs, Asante Kotoko and Kumasi King Faisal, expressed the similar worry in a television interview Tuesday.

"Our preparation was not great and we were lynched by the Netherlands. These are not good omens for us," he said, calling on Ghanaians to rally behind the Black Stars all the same.

"Some time ago we had in the team one of the top ten players in the world, but now we've lost him to injury," he expressed his regret.

The renowned football administrator said, being candid about the chances of the Black Stars in South Africa did not mean he was not patriotic.

"I am just assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the team, and I think they will do their best but cannot go far in the tournament," he said.

Mensah, however, believed it was great that Ghana had qualified for the global fiesta twice on the trot, urging Ghanaians to give the national team their maximum support to spur them on during the tournament.