Local Black Stars manager Maxwell Konadu has explained why goalkeeper Fatau Dauda was dropped from the squad that will take on Ivory Coast this afternoon saying he had a ‘little knock’.

The AshantiGold goalie was one of a few players who were dropped for the second leg of the qualifiers in Abidjan which raised a lot of questions in Ghana.

But the head coach insists that Fatau was not fit enough to be with the team

“We had to talk to him to get him out of the team. He had a little know and we did not want to risk him,” Maxwell said.

“I am sure by now he is fine but before we moved to this place he was not very fine to make the trip.”

“Fatau is an important player not only for the Local Black Stars but also for the senior Black Stars and we must not risk him. The decision was purely technical,” he concluded.

Fatau Dauda was part of the Black Stars squad at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and has helped AshantiGold to win their first league trophy after 19 years.

The Local Black Stars come up against the Local Elephante of Cote d’Ivoire at the Stade Robert Champroux this after with a 2-1 advantage from the first leg courtesy Joel Fameyeh’s brace.