Dreams FC denies allegations of attempting to sign Najeeb Yakubu

Dreams FC has denied claims by former Ghana youth international Najeeb Yakubu that the club tried to sign him during his time with the Black Starlets.

Najeeb, who now represents the Niger national team, alleged that Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kurt Okraku excluded him from the Black Meteors squad that travelled to Japan for friendlies in 2021 due to a personal grudge.

Speaking on Prime Take with Muftawu Nabila Abdulai on JoyNews, Najeeb claimed the issue stemmed from his refusal to join Dreams FC.

“I think it’s the GFA President, Kurt [Okraku], who took out my name from the U23 squad that travelled to Japan in 2021 for the friendlies. I think he has a personal problem with me,” he said.

“When I was in the U17, he [Kurt Okraku] wanted me to join his team, Dreams FC. Unfortunately, I couldn’t join his team [and he took it personally].”

However, officials of Dreams FC have categorically denied the allegations.

A club representative stated that at no point did Kurt Okraku, who was the club’s Executive Chairman at the time, or any other official, attempt to sign Najeeb.

“The only time an official spoke to him was when he was in Ukraine, and the conversation had nothing to do with playing for Dreams FC,” the official said.

“It was about recommending him to the GFA president for consideration in the Black Stars, as the national team was struggling for a right-back at the time.”

Najeeb eventually switched allegiance to Niger and was part of the team that defeated the Black Stars 2-1 at the Accra Sports Stadium during the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.

The Black Stars’ poor performance in the qualifiers saw them finish last in Group F with just three points, missing out on the AFCON for the first time in 21 years.

Meanwhile, Najeeb’s Niger placed third with seven points, while Angola and Sudan secured qualification with 14 and eight points, respectively.