Najeeb Yakubu, a former Ghana youth international, has claimed that Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku was behind his rejection from the Black Meteors squad that traveled to Japan for friendlies in 2021.
Najeeb, who currently plays for the Niger national team, was part of the side that defeated the Black Stars 2-1 in the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday, November 18, 2024.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Prime Take with Muftawu Nabila Abdulai, he accused Kurt Okraku of removing his passport from the Japan friendlies team list.
Kurt Okraku removed my passport from the squad – Najeeb Yakubu alleges
“I believe it was the GFA President, Kurt [Okraku], who removed my name from the U23 squad that traveled to Japan in 2021 for friendlies. “I believe he has a personal problem with me,” he stated.
“When I was in the U17s, Kurt Okraku wanted me to join his Dreams FC club. Unfortunately, I was unable to join his team [and he took this personally].
However, Dreams FC executives have denied ever trying to sign Najeeb while he was with the Black Starlets.
In response to the charges, an official told JoySports that neither the FA president, who was the club’s Executive Chairman, nor any other Dreams FC official contacted Najeeb or his representatives to play for the team.
He did, however, say that the only time an official spoke to him was while he was in Ukraine, and the conversation had nothing to do with Dreams. According to him, the official stated that he would recommend to the GFA president that the technical team consider inviting him to the Black Stars during a time when the national team was looking for a right back.
Najeed eventually moved to Niger and competed against the Black Stars in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
The Black Stars finished last in Group F with three points, missing out on the continental showcase for the first time in 21 years.
Meanwhile, Najeeb’s Niger finished third with seven points, with Angola and Sudan taking first and second place with 14 and eight points, respectively.