Emmanuel Adebayor stricken with grief
The African Cup of Nations just wrapped up in Angola yesterday. The holders, Egypt, defeated Ghana 1-0 in the final. But the tournament will be remembered for an ugly incident that took place before any of the games were played. The Togo team bus was ambushed by Cabinda rebels toting machine guns two days before the tournament. The Togo assistant coach and the communication director were killed. The goalkeeper was severely injured. The Togolese team withdrew from the tournament and returned home to mourn the loss.
Here’s where things get out of hand. On Saturday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) banned Togo from the 2012 and 2014 cup of nations for “governmental interference.” The CAF president said it had no choice but to ban Togo in order to “protect the integrity of African Football.” The team was also fined $50, 000. It was against the rules, according to the CAF, for the Togo government to summon the team home and withdraw from the tournament.
If the CAF was really concerned about protecting African football they would make sure the players were actually protected. Has a sporting body ever been more egregious in putting the value of their sport above human life. People died. You may not agree with them withdrawing and whatever, but people died. Whatever way the country’s national team decides to mourn that situation should be respected. It’s not up to you, heartless CAF, to decides what’s right or wrong when the tournament you organize has a team’s bus ambushed. Maybe you should think about real protection before you embarrass yourself further by the outlandish claim that the ban on Togo in someway will protect the future of African Football. Angola recently emerged from a civil war in 2002, so events like this couldn’t have been entirely unforeseen.
It’s clear the CAF doesn’t know how to protect anything. It can’t protect the players and it sure as heck can’t protect themselves from getting lambasted by every blogger, journalist and citizen who knows about this debacle. They have embarrassed African Football worldwide and proven they are an organization with no integrity. Why should they ever be trusted to “protect” African football?
Togo is appealing the decision.
Simon Says 