Black Stars defender Jerome Opoku will miss Ghana’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Niger because he has serious back problems according to Black Stars head coach Otto Addo.
Addo stated this in his pregame presser ahead of the game that commences at 16:00 GMT in Morocco; the game will be played in the North African nation due to CAF ruling out Niger’s host venues for the contest.
Both nations head into the game on the back of 1-0 losses to Angola and Sudan respectively with Ghana’s loss at the Baba Yara being its first at the stadium since 2000.
Addo stated in his presser that Joseph Paintsil won’t be available due to visa issues and Opoku will miss the contest due to the back problem he picked up while training on the much maligned Baba Yara pitch ahead of the Angola tie.
“Jerome, he had serious back problems. I think his body couldn’t adapt with the ground, with the training ground in Kumasi. It was very difficult for him so he had problems in training and at the end, it was so serious that he couldn’t train and so he had to go back now to get special treatment from his club.”
The Baba Yara pitch has come under heavy criticism for its poor state and Addo and Angola head coach, Pedro Goncalves, slammed the pitch’s quality. (Click highlighted text to read full story)
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