Otto Addo: Jerome Opoku has back issues; his body was unable to adjust to Baba Yara’s pitch.

According to Black Stars head coach Otto Addo, defender Jerome Opoku will miss Ghana’s 2025 AFCON qualifier against Niger due to severe back issues.

This was said by Addo during his pregame press conference prior to the match, which starts at 16:00 GMT in Morocco. The match will take place in the country of North Africa because the CAF has disqualified Niger from hosting the match.

Both teams enter the match fresh off of 1-0 losses to Angola and Sudan, respectively, with Ghana suffering its first defeat at the Baba Yara Stadium since 2000.

In his press conference, Addo said that Joseph Paintsil would not be able to play because of a visa issue, and that Opoku would be unable to play because of a back injury he sustained during practice on the much-maligned Baba Yara field prior to the Angola match.

“Jerome had severe back issues. I believe that his body was unable to adjust to the Kumasi training ground. It was really challenging for him, which caused him to struggle with training. In the end, it got so bad that he was unable to workout and had to go back now to get special treatment from his club.”