Ghana friendly was a success (From Watford Observer)

Ghana vs Nigeria friendly at Vicarage Road was a success despite low crowd

5:56pm Thursday 13th October 2011 in Sport By Frank Smith, Deputy Group Sports Editor

Watford have confirmed Tuesday night’s international game at Vicarage Road was an operational success even if the attendance was significantly lower than expected.

The Hornets would not state exactly how much they received for hosting the Ghana versus Nigeria friendly but the club were paid a ‘reasonable five-figure facilitation fee’, although costs did need to be deducted from the sum.

Watford’s head of operations Glyn Evans said: “There were few operational issues on the night.

“The club was very disappointed the initial fixture in August was postponed [due to the riots], although we understand the reasons why, and that did have a detrimental impact on Tuesday night’s attendance.

“That said, the atmosphere was excellent on the night and it is a shame more people were not there.”

An exact attendance figure was not given but the club estimated around 5,000 fans were at Vicarage Road.

Nigeria failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations at the weekend and it is believed that had a substantial impact on the attendance, as at least another 1,500 supporters were expected to show up on the night.

It was the colourful and vocal fans who took the plaudits on the night as the West African rivals battled out a largely uninspiring goalless draw in front of an estimated live TV audience of 30 million across the continent and beyond.