It’s the most abhorrent decision ever made.
When I first read about the four-year ban and $5000 fine imposed on the Togolese team by the Confederation of African Football, I expected the decision to be reversed.
I’m still waiting.
CAF president Issa Hayatou … nothing.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter … nothing.
Punished after being the victims of a terror attack which took the lives of three people, including the team’s assistant coach and press officer in Angola – host of last month’s African Cup of Nations.
Others were injured but all of the members on that bus that came under machine-gun fire will be mentally scarred for life.
The terrified and traumatized Togolese players, led by their captain and Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor, inspirationally wanted to play on. But the Togo government took the decision out of their hands and brought them home
Hayatou said after the attacks he would understand if the Togo team didn’t play the tournament but has since backtracked.
CAF imposed the penalties, which includes the exclusion of the next two African Cup of Nations tournaments, because of interference by the Togolese government.
Again, the Togolese team was attacked by a militant group on their way to their hotel. They returned to Lome for a three-day period of national morning and to attend the funerals of the victims.
In this the year that the spotlight will shine brightly on Africa, surely the continent’s football administrators would be mindful of not making such ridiculous decisions.
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STORY UPDATE: The Court of Arbitration for Sport has dismissed an appeal from the Togo Football Federation to be included in the qualifying draw for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.
It means Togo was not included in the draw, held at Lubumbashi, Congo, for the 2012 finals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
CAS ruled “there was no risk of irreparable harm” if Togo was excluded from the draw.
It added that should Togo eventually win its appeal to CAS against the suspension, then there was time for it to be included in a new draw before qualifying starts in September.
Where is the common sense here. If anything, Togo should get a free ticket into the next tourney. Somebody needs to shoot at these administrators’ bus and then ask them how they feel. This is absurd!