Coach of Asante Kotoko, Maxwell Konadu, has said explained why he cannot play striker, Songne Yacouba.
Mr Konadu said Yacouba cannot be part of the playing body of Kotoko until all issues surrounding his contract are sorted.
The Burkinabe forward and the club have been locked in talks over his future amid reports of the player expressing his desire to leave and play elsewhere.
The 28-year-old is demanding $150,000.00 as a precondition for extending his stay with the club.
Yacouba’s contract ends in April 2020.
“Yacouba is a good player by all standards but when I am managing a team and we have issues to settle, we need to sort those issues out before he can play,” he said.
“We want him but we need to sit down and talk. Until then, Kotoko is a team and has to take certain decisions.
“We left him out of the Hearts match because we felt he was not mentally focused.
“Other than than, he is a good player and he is a Kotoko player and we want him here but we need to talk to his agent and settle all issues before he can come back to the team.”
With the exception of Kotoko’s clash with Hearts of Oak, Yacouba has played in every match for Kotoko this season and fans will hope to see him stay with the team despite the complicated nature of negotiations between the player and the club.