AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS: TOGO MAY PULL OUT

January 8th, 2010 | by: sscouser |

TOGO
Gunmen opened fire Friday on a bus carrying Togo’s national soccer team to a tournament in Angola, wounding at least six people including two soccer players from the West African nation, an official said.

Some of the players said they were inclined to pull out of the African Cup of Nations Angola 2010 tournament following the violence.

Togolese soccer federation vice president Gabriel Ameyi said backup goalkeeper Obilale Kossi and central defender Serge Akakpo were among those hurt. The team’s top player, Emmanuel Adebayor, was unharmed, according to his club Manchester City.

“We were machine-gunned like dogs,” Togo player Thomas Dossevi, who plays for French club Nantes, told Radio Monte Carlo. “They were armed to the teeth … We spent 20 minutes underneath the seats of the bus.”

Alaixys Romao felt Togo should not go ahead with the tournament. “If we can boycott it, let’s do it,” Romao told French TV channel Infosport. It’s just not on for us to be shot at because of a football match. All I can think about is stopping this competition and going home.”

Dossevi agreed: “We don’t want to play this African Cup of Nations,” he told Infosport. “We’re thinking about our teammates — to be hit by bullets when you’ve come to play football is disgusting.”

“Players injured, driver dead” after Togo bus attack

Breaking: Togo Nat’l Team Attacked By Rebels, Machine Guns.

Angola rebels claim Togo football team attack

Togo footballers shot in ambush

According to RMC (Radio Monte Carlo), the attack happened around 3.15pm just after players entered Cabinda, one of the four host venues of the African Cup of Nations and an oil producing region that has been the target of attacks in the past by a separatist group called FLEC. Group “A” teams will be based in the Angolan capital, Luanda; Group B – Cabinda, Group C – Benguela and Group D – Lubango.

The Angolan minister in charge of affairs in Cabinda, Antonio Bento Bembe, called the attack an act of terrorism. However, he denied the attack on the squad had been done by FLEC rebels.

“FLEC no long exists, the attack comes from certain individuals who want to cause problems for us,” he said.

The two players injured are reported to be GSI Pontivy goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilalé and Vaslui FC defender Serge Akakpo. Others reported injured are an assistant coach, a doctor and a journalist who was following the team. The bus was travelling to Cabinda from the squad’s training ground in the Republic of Congo when the shooting happened.

Cabinda

The Flames (Malawi National Team) arrived today. They camped in Swaziland where they held Ghana to a goalless draw. Yesterday they travelled by road from Swaziland to Johannesburg, South Africa where they spent a night. Flew to Angola earlier today.Team arrivals

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Comments

By sscouser | January 8th, 2010 at 6:43 pm

Attacked Togo stars may quit Africa Cup of Nations

Togo’s stunned players are considering pulling out of the Africa Cup of Nations after their team bus came under sustained gunfire in Angola on Friday.

Two players were injured in the attack in the northern province of Cabinda.

Organisers insist the tournament will go ahead but Togo’s players met later on Friday to discuss returning home.

“If we are still not sure [about security] then we will be leaving,” captain Emmanuel Adebayor, of Manchester City, told BBC Afrique.

“It’s a football game, it’s one of the biggest tournaments in Africa and a lot of people would love to be in our position but I don’t think anybody would be prepared to give their life.

So I will talk with the team and we will discuss between us and take a group decision that we think is good for our careers, good for our lives and good for our families because at the end of the day it is only football.

“If I am alive I can still play football tomorrow and in one year maybe even another Cup of Nations but I am not ready to pass away now.

“I think a lot of players want to leave, they don’t want to be in this tournament any more. Because they have seen their death already they have been in a situation where they have been close to death – most of the players want to go back to their families.”

AFP Global Edition

Jan 08, 2010 15:58 EST

The gunfire broke out as they were pulling away from the border crossing, players said.

Richmond Forson, who plays with French fourth division side Thouars, told the French sports channel Infosport that a bus carrying the team’s baggage took the worst of the gunfire.

“It was the baggage bus which went in front of us which took the bullets because they thought we were in there,” Forson said.

Alaixys Romao, who plays for the French top flight side Grenoble, said the team was in shock and did not want to take part in the tournament.

“We’ve got players wounded, members of staff, and we’re all just waiting for news,” Romao told Infosport. If it is possible, there should be a boycott of the tournament. Why not cancel all the matches. We just want to go back home.”

But organisers said the games would go on.

“Our great concern is for the players, but the championship goes ahead,” said Souleymane Habuba, spokesman for the Confederation of African Football.

He said the group’s vice president had set off for Cabinda to find out first hand what had occurred, but questioned why Togo had elected to travel by road rather than flying.

“CAF’s regulations are clear: teams are required to fly rather than travel by bus,” he said.

Togo, one of Africa’s top sides and who appeared in the last World Cup in Germany, were scheduled to start their campaign against Ghana on Monday in Cabinda.

The other teams in their group are Burkina Faso and the star-studded Ivory Coast whose squad includes Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure.

Despite long-running security concerns, oil-rich Cabinda is to host seven Nations Cup matches this month.

Angola as a whole is only just emerging from a 27-year civil war which erupted shortly after it received independence from Portugal and finally ended in 2002.

AFP Global Edition

Jan 07, 2010 03:26 EST

The Angolan enclave of Cabinda is expected to deploy heavy security at its Chiazi stadium, when the country hosts the 2010 edition of the African Nations Cup starting Sunday.

Chelsea teammates Michael Essien and Didier Drogba will play the group stages there, one of four Cup venues in the country, but not all the security will be for the Premier League stars.

Oil-rich Cabinda, separated from the rest of Angola by the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been embroiled in a long-running independence struggle but will host the seven Nations Cup matches this month. Read more…

Posted from United States

By Nathan | January 8th, 2010 at 9:15 pm

how about this comment by Lonheart

12:35AM, Jan 09, 2010Lionheart

I was a commentator for the African Nat Cup in Egypt – and although I was advised NOT to report on anything negative (as it is hoped to make the bi-annual event popular on a global basis), I can assure youu there were plenty of dodgy things going on. Some of the teams (who hadn’t been paid by their associations) were threatneing NOT to appear, one of them only relented 15 minutes before the game was due to kick off. Not all of the venues were well visited, so it was decided to give local schoolkids free tickets so the stadia didn’t look too empty. A lot of the games were, well, not so good, although the final between the hosts and the Ivory Caost was a scorcher. Many of my colleagues feel that the event should be staged in summer like other big tournaments, which would draw a sigh of relief from many club managers who have to put up with their players sliding off for a month during the season. Now, with things like this incident involving Togo in Angola happening, it makes you wonder if the African continent has the ability to prevent scenes like this. Admittedly, South Africa is not Angola, and violence can occur anywhere, but I’m sure there are those who now have a strange feeling in their guts.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2801232/Prem-bosses-plead-Call-it-off.html

By Ian | January 8th, 2010 at 11:33 pm

Really? 5 people so far have voted “Togo should be fined if they pull out”? I don’t know quite what the right response is, but there is no way, no way that Togo should be punished for however they choose to respond to this. That is completely insane.

On Lionheart’s comment – I’m headed to South Africa for the World Cup in June, and as much as this worries me, I think it’s hugely important that the world doesn’t judge the continent of Africa on this.

By Vanesa | January 9th, 2010 at 7:57 am

Soccer World Cup 2010 is one of the most awaited event this new year.

Posted from Philippines

By RS11 | January 9th, 2010 at 9:19 am

Togo should pull out if they choose to. Their players should not be pawns in a domestic conflict, and should not have to deal with crap like attempts on their life because of a football competition. The least the organisers can do is to provide adequate security. It is quite clear that they are incapable of doing this.

What will people be saying if any of the players was killed or kidnapped. Would Togo be expected to send a reserve team because of TV rights. The CAN response is mealy mouthed, their claim that Togo did not follow the right procedure is inexcusable and is an abdication of responsibility.

What is to prevent a re-occurrence of another tragedy. This time the organisers might not be so lucky. This raises the question on why Angola was given hosting rights. It is quite clear that it is a dangerous, violent,unsafe and unstable.Why stage games in an area that is fighting for self determination. The rebels know that any event like this is a propoganda coup for their cause.

Angolans might be used to living in such a violent enviroment but others should not have to deal with their inability to provide adequate security.
Togo should withdraw if they have to and not worry about any silly fines or santions.

Posted from United Kingdom