Fatawu blames absence of Inusah Musah & Ruben Gnagne for 2017 FA Cup loss to Kotoko

Hearts of Oak captain, Fatawu Mohammed believes the Phobians could have won the 2017 MTN FA Cup final against rivals Asante Kotoko if they had the services of Inusah Musah and Ruben Gnagne that day.

The Phobians with the central defense pair of Vincent Atinga and Richard Akrofi suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Porcupines Warriors after the first-half hattrick from striker Saddick Adams.

Though, Thomas Abbey who was the captain of the Phobian team who lost the final attributed the defeat to a three months unpaid salary and bonuses, Fatawu thinks otherwise.

In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, he said some bribery allegations levelled against their central defenders forced coach Frank Elliot Nuttall to change his trusted central defense pair.

"When we went to Tamale to play the final match, we heard a rumour that our central defenders have been bribed by Kotoko to leak in goals. You remember Inusah Musah and Ruben Gnagne were our central defense pair before the final and sometimes Vincent Atinga joins the latter when we are playing a three-man defense."

"But only in that match against Kotoko, Inusah Musah was in the stance while Ruben Gnagne was on the bench because of the rumours that came. So when the selection came and both players were not going to play on the day we knew we would struggle. To me, the selection on that day contributed to our defeat and not because the club was owing us." Fatawu Mohammed told GhanaWeb."