Hearts of Oak captain, Fatawu Mohammed has admitted being scared by the magnificent FNB Stadium when he made his senior Ghana debut last Monday.
The right-back stepped in for England-based Andy Yiadom, who could not travel to COVID-19 red-listed South Africa in the Black Stars’ second Group G game of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
A late Bongokuhle Hlongwane strike was all that Hugo Broos’ side needed to pin Charles Akonnor’s team in Johannesburg.
Fatawu has now opened up on his first senior Ghana game, which has been considered by a lot of people as underwhelming.
The 29-year-old Hearts of Oak double-winning captain said he got scared when he saw the vast FNB pitch but was relieved the game was played in an empty stadium.
“I got a bit scared when I saw the FNB Stadium because the pitch is very, very huge,” he told Accra-based Asempa FM.
“It wouldn’t have been easy with supporters in the stands.
“The moment you enter the stadium you realize that indeed you are in a stadium
“But we played in an empty stadium so that eased some pressure off.
“The way the pressure was high, it would have been more if the supporters had been there. It felt like no man’s land without them.”
He is likely to still keep his place in Akonnor’s squad because the England players will still not be allowed to travel to Zimbabwe because it is also a COVID-19 red-list country for the UK.
By Abdul Karim Adamu Benin | www.sportyafrica.com
