Unbelievable - Togo banned from next two African Cup of Nations!

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**Fifty**

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/8489127.stm

Togo have been banned from the next two Africa Cup of Nations following their withdrawal from this year's tournament.

The Confederation of African football (Caf) also fined the Hawks $50,000 for quitting the competition in the wake of a gun attack on the team bus in Angola.

Two members of their delegation were killed in the ambush, which occurred on 8 January, two days before the start of the tournament.

The Togo government is furious over the decision, threatening legal action.

"This is a surprise decision and it means that people (Caf) have no consideration for the lives of other human beings," Togo Interior Minister Pascal Bodjona told BBC Sport.

"This is insulting to the family of those who lost their lives and those traumatised because of the attack.

PIERS EDWARDS BLOG
Not since Buckingham Palace took so long to respond Princess Diana's death in 1997 has an organisation so badly misjudged the mood of the public

"We had two people dead and others suffered so if those people at Caf had any consideration for others I don't think at this time this is a reasonable decision.

"We are awaiting the official notification and we are going to take legal action to resolve the matter."

World football governing body Fifa declined to comment on the ban.

A statement from Caf read: "The executive committee has banned Togo from the next two African Nations Cup and fined the Togo FA 50,000 U.S. dollars."

A Togolese assistant coach and a press officer died following the ambush on their bus in the northern Angolan province of Cabinda on 8 January, prompting the government to recall the team for three days of mourning.

The Hawks initially wanted to compete in Group B with Ivory Coast, Ghana and Burkina Faso, but quit on 10 January - the tournament's start date - on 10 January on their national government's orders.

But African football's governing body says the decision to pull the team out amounted to governmental interference in the sport.

"The players publicly expressed their willingness to return to the Nations Cup to compete. But the Togo government decided to call back their national team," Caf explained in its statement.

"The decision by political authorities contravenes Caf and African Nations Cup regulations."

Togo midfielder Thomas Dossevi, who was on the bus when it came under fire minutes after it crossed the Angolan border from Pointe Noire, Congo, said Togo should appeal against the ban.

"We are a group of footballers who came under fire and now we can't play football any more. They are crushing us," Dossevi said.

"Togo should appeal the suspension. When we said we were going home for a three-day mourning they said they were with us in this ordeal and now they punish us."

Meanwhile, the families of the assistant coach and the press officer were taking legal action against the Caf and the Angolan state, their lawyer said.

"We are taking legal action because our compatriots were killed because of the mistakes of the Confederation of African Football (and) its president Mr Issa Hayatou," lawyer Alexis Aquereburu said.

"(The legal claim is) also against the Angolan state for putting in danger the life of our compatriots by organising this African Nations Cup in a war zone."

The armed wing of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC), embroiled in a decades-long separatist struggle, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The FLEC has fought a 30-year war against Angola's government for independence.

One grievance is that Cabindans see little of the money from oil that comes from their land.

Absolutely incredible.

**mattyrm**

Staggering. What on earth are they thinking?

**Mr. Burning**

What a joke. CAF need to rethink their position, fast.

**Relapse**

Let me see if I understand this correctly, the Togo team bus got shot up, people killed, and Togo withdraws from a tournament two days before it starts.
They get punished for this decision by being banned by some organization called the Caf and fined $50,000?

Does Caf stand for "consolidation of arsewipes and fethnuts"?

**chaplaingrabthar**

The CAF is a total fething disgrace for this.

**BluntmanDC**

Well the CaF will never live this down, worst move they could probably have made. what a load of idiots

**Gwar!**

I notice how FIFA have declined to comment. Glad to see the highest echelons of the Football Associations have a backbone. </sarcasm>

**Gornall**

For us who like our "American Football" and don't know much about the other variety, is the CAF an important organization?

**Gwar!**

Gornall wrote:For us who like our "American Football" and don't know much about the other variety, is the CAF an important organization?

Ah, well, ya see, at the very top, there is FIFA, who run things like the World Cup and actually set the laws of the game.

Directly below them are 5 Continental Federations, one for the Americas and Carribean (because a Confederation for the 3 countries in North America would be silly), Africa, Asia, Oceania (Pacific Islands, Australia, New Zealand and all that jazz) and Europe. These dictate the rules for their own regional tournaments.

CAF is the African Confederation. They run things like the African Cup of Nations.

**Clthomps**

Wow what a bunch of douche bags.

And I thought sports on the African continent couldn't get any worse.... Guess I was wrong.

**dogma**

CAF has many of the same administrative problems that handicap the AU; meaning politics generally trump procedure.

**Orkeosaurus**

Gwar! wrote:one for the Americas and Carribean (because a Confederation for the 3 countries in North America would be silly),

Technically everyone above the Panama Canal is North America.

**Gwar!**

Huh, I was always told that NA consisted of Canada, Mexico and the US.

Go figure.

**Orkeosaurus**

A lot of the time countries below Mexico are referred to as Central America, but they're not really a separate continent.

**Orkestra**

@ Gwar!: Americans don't like to talk about it, Canadians don't realize it because those little places are tiny and far away, and Mexico knows what's going on, but Canada and America never bothered learning Spanish.

But yeah "Central America" is really part of North America. Go figure.

**Waaagh_Gonads**

If FIFA had a backbone they would reverse the decision.

We know they don't because France didn't have to replay their match vs Ireland despite one of the worst cheating episodes in the last few years.

**Gornall**

Waaagh_Gonads wrote:If FIFA had a backbone they would reverse the decision.

We know they don't because France didn't have to replay their match vs Ireland despite one of the worst cheating episodes in the last few years.

It's not "cheating" if the ref doesn't call it. Its simply an inexcusable failure of the ref.

**Fateweaver**

When I first saw the thread title I thought it said TOGA. I'm like "who wears a toga to a soccer game and if so why would it be banned".

Than I saw my error and realized I have nothing further to say.

**Gwar!**

Gornall wrote:
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:If FIFA had a backbone they would reverse the decision.

We know they don't because France didn't have to replay their match vs Ireland despite one of the worst cheating episodes in the last few years.

It's not "cheating" if the ref doesn't call it. Its simply an inexcusable failure of the ref.

What makes it worse is that there was a precedent set where a game was replayed due to severe Referee error, but it was between two very minor countries. It's more than likely because it was France, FIFA decided not to act.

**Gornall**

Gwar! wrote:It's more than likely because it was France, FIFA decided not to act.

No... its because everyone hates Ireland.

I kid, I kid.

**Fifty**

Gornall wrote:
Waaagh_Gonads wrote:If FIFA had a backbone they would reverse the decision.

We know they don't because France didn't have to replay their match vs Ireland despite one of the worst cheating episodes in the last few years.

It's not "cheating" if the ref doesn't call it. Its simply an inexcusable failure of the ref.

That is like saying burglary is the police's fault for not caching the burglar in the act. In fact, it is worse, it is like saying that if the police catch you robbing a place on CCTV, they should not be able to prosecute, because they didn't catch you in the act.

**Wrexasaur**

Doesn't that kind of finality limit the game in detrimental ways? I can't even begin to imagine how much RAW cheating goes on in rugby...

Seriously, let's get the best rules lawyers from Dakka, to review every game of soccer ever played. I can only begin to imagine what they would find...

So, at least in a way, Gornall is basically correct in what he says.

**Waaagh_Gonads**

Don't pay Togo, don't pay....

**Orkeosaurus**

While I can see why there would be a desire to "let bygones be bygones", I think that argument breaks down pretty fast when you realize that a greater amount of leeway given to cheating now will cause the players to risk cheating more readily in the future. In that sense, they will most likely save themselves some hassle over all if they crack down on that sort of thing hard. (Then again, I'm sure I'm underestimating all the politicking going on with those crazy soccer players...)

**chaplaingrabthar**

I do feel sorry for the Irish losing out to Thierry Tosspot's handball, but I wonder how many Irish people felt sorry for England losing out to the "Hand of God" back in 1986. (Maradona's other goal in that game is still the best I've seen)

**Tyyr**

They got banned for two tournaments by a bunch of idiots, what's their motivation to pay?

Also, lovely venue selection.

**dogma**

Official standing in CAF.