Will Togo Play? African Cup of Nations 2010 Begins under a Cloud

The African Cup of Nations 2010 begins today. Though the competition was shrouded under a blanket of tragedy before the opening ceremonies have even been performed due to events in Cabinda, there is still a three-week tournament ahead of us that, we hope, brings entertainment and joy to the people of Angola, the people of Africa and to people watching all over the world.

While the Togo bus attacks mean this African Cup of Nations cannot quite be the festival of football we envisaged, as Arsene Wenger has stated, “the competition has to go on.” “I don’t believe you can just stop any competition for any incident, because that would be a reward for the people who provoke these atrocities. It would mean any competition could be stopped at any time,” says the Arsenal manager.

Wenger’s words are a rare beacon of common sense in a bitter snowstorm of nonsense, misinformation and self-serving rhetoric disguised as sympathy over the last few days. Hull City boss Phil Brown was at the forefront of the idiot charge, barely waiting for news of the Togo team’s welfare before openly questioning whether the World Cup could go on in South Africa, and many others followed in line from Premier League managers to supposedly esteemed journalists. So it was welcoming to hear Wenger speak intelligently and unselfishly on the subject, advising his players to stay and play in Angola as long as they personally feel comfortable doing so. Friday’s attacks were atrocious but the tournament needs to go on.

With just hours before the first game is due to kick off however many matters are unresolved. Conflicting reports have emerged on just about every aspect surrounding the ambush in Cabinda. Togo first announced they would pull out of the tournament, then reports emerged they would fight on. Cabinda was withdrawn as a host venue, then re-instated after the authorities held an emergency general meeting. Nations including Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire threatened to join Togo by refusing to participate, then went quiet.

Here is what we know. Despite original plans for Togo to leave yesterday, with a plane sent by the Togo government to pick the team up and take them back to the capital Lome, another player meeting was held in which the decision was reversed and the players decided to play in the African Cup of Nations.

“There was a meeting between players yesterday (Saturday) and we said we were still footballers,” Emmanuel Adebayor told French radio station RMC. “We all decided to do something good for the country and play to honour those who died.” The decision to honour those who lost their lives by playing appears to be the collective stance of the whole Togo squad.

However, Togo president Faure Gnassingbe is reportedly adamant that the players should withdraw from the competition. Three days of national mourning were announced by the government on Saturday and a presidential plane is being dispatched to pick the Togo squad up. “Unfortunately, the head of state and the country’s authorities have decided otherwise. We will pack up and go home,” Adebayor told RMC. The latest we have on this is that president Gnassingbe will make his final decision imminently.

It is also reported that despite the Angolan separatist movement FLEC’s statement that the bus attacks were “just the beginning,” Cabinda will remain the venue for Group B. CAF have seemingly been unwilling to bend on a lot of issues over the last few days, including rejecting a request from the squad to postpone their first match to allow them to bury their dead. Rejecting a venue change is the latest bit of political posturing it seems and while I personally do not agree with that decision I just hope Cabinda can be a safe venue for all participating teams.

One bit of good news we do have is regarding Togo reserve goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale is now in a stable condition. Surgeon Elias Degiannis of Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, where Obilale was taken for an emergency operation, told AFP: “The operation was a success and the patient is in a generally good condition. He is a strong man with a strong body.” This is at least one piece of magnificent news. The death toll does still stand at three however.

Regular readers of Just Football will know the African Cup of Nations holds a special place in our hearts. I personally have been excited about this tournament for weeks, and with the eyes of the world on Africa these callous attacks were a devastating blow for a whole number of reasons. But the tournament will go on. I hope Togo play, but will understand their decision perfectly if they don’t. The decision to play in the name of those who lost their lives is both noble and brave, one that would ring out throughout the world as a wonderful show of defiance and strength in the face of such crushing adversity. Togo’s president will decide on that, but in coming to such a decision the Togo national team have already shown enormously admirable reserves of courage and dignity.

The African Cup of Nations starts today and, in keeping with the spirit shown by the Togo national team, we will continue to follow the tournament as fervently as we would have.

African Cup of Nations 2010, African Football, Angola, Emmanuel Adebayor, Togo