Togo's team bus hit by machine gun fire

Ronan|Raven

They were correct to withdraw after going through an ordeal like that.

A Primal Nut

Football Focus just said Togo have pulled out of the African Nations Cup.

MementoMori

A Primal Nut wrote: »

Football Focus just said Togo have pulled out of the African Nations Cup.

And I thought I was slow off the mark:D

Knew I shouldn't have added my commentary bit.

That_Guy

Togo have withdrawn from the African Cup Of Nations according to SSN.

A Primal Nut

MementoMori wrote: »

And I thought I was slow off the mark:D

Knew I shouldn't have added my commentary bit.

Haha I'd opened the reply page a couple of minutes earlier but didn't get around to typing it coz I was distracted by something on Football Focus.

There were serious questions about the choice of country when it was mooted as a possible host.

Another attack like this and the tournament should surely be abandoned.

Karmafaerie

Did everyone hear that Togo have withdrawn?!

MagicMarker

One of the players injured has died. On Sky News now.

griffdaddy

maybe ireland can join in now seeing as we're not going to the world cup?

Spiritoftheseventies

griffdaddy wrote: »

maybe ireland can join in now seeing as we're not going to the world cup?

accounts from togo player what happened. Bullets everywhere according to all accounts.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8449355.stm

MagicMarker

MagicMarker wrote: »

One of the players injured has died. On Sky News now.

Very sad indeed.

That tournament is now a complete shambles.

Sky news now saying two Togo players have died

mike65

PA via Guardian are reporting two staff dead

Spiritoftheseventies

mike65 wrote: »

PA via Guardian are reporting two staff dead

The buck stops with tournament organisers. Is there a case for taking a legal action re playing the tournament in a country with that much unrest. was any consideration given towards the players and staff before they decided on venue?

Neil3030

mike65 wrote: »

PA via Guardian are reporting two staff dead

Yep, 3 dead. Assistant Manager, Press Officer and the driver of the bus.

Dodo gone to SA for "life saving surgery".

Frisbee

No players have died.

Serge Akakpo and Kodjovi Obilale were both of the players wounded but are in stable conditions.

The driver of the bus and two team staff have died.

Eire-Dearg

A media guy and the assistant coach, apparently.

mike65

Sky News - never wrong for long

Johner

Sully

Beat radio here reporting one player has died, along with the driver.

eagle eye

MementoMori wrote: »

Togo pull out of the tournament according to Football Focus.

No real surprise.

Will make a bit of a joke of the tournament.

Wonder how soon Adebayor and Salifou and be back in England?

Well if its gonna go ahead, maybe they could give Ireland that spot to make up for the World Cup.

MagicMarker

bayviewclose wrote: »

The buck stops with tournament organisers. Is there a case for taking a legal action re playing the tournament in a country with that much unrest. was any consideration given towards the players and staff before they decided on venue?

Apparently all teams were told to travel by air.

CHD

Heard two players died, or is it the driver and a player? Horrible.

Eire-Dearg

No players have died!

A press officer and the assistant manager have been killed, adding to the driver yesterday.

ArmaniJeanss

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

The tournament needs to be canceled. Yes, I know that giving into terrorists is bad, but **** that there are lives at risk (and a life lost already). The tournament should not have been held there in the first place. It clearly is not safe with matches soon to kick off. Time for sense to prevail.

Out of interest, do you think the Munich Olympics should have been cancelled after the Black September incident? Should they not have been held in Gemany in the first place?
Ditto the Atlanta Olympics?

Spiritoftheseventies

MagicMarker wrote: »

Apparently all teams were told to travel by air.

yes but as was explained on other page those arrangements were messy.

CHD

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

No players have died!

A press officer and the assistant manager have been killed, adding to the driver yesterday.

Still horrible though. Togo FA is run by some Fúckwits

Karmafaerie

Exactly, no players have died.

Goalkeeper Kossi Agassa - who plays for French club Istres - told France-Info radio that a Togo assistant coach and a press officer had also died.

However...

Agassa added that back-up goalie Obilale Kossi was badly injured and had been flown to South Africa for treatment.

Fingers crosed he's okay.


Also worth noting, repots coming in that the incident lastedfor over half an hour, with the players ducking under seats while bullets the flew.

On Friday officials said the bus driver had been killed and eight others including two players were wounded in the 30-minute ambush.

SarahBM

Togo have pulled out according to SSN but the tournament still going ahead.

What did those "people" think they were going to achieve by shooting a football team!

Karmafaerie

CHD wrote: »

Still horrible though. Togo FA and CAF is run by some Fúckwits

FTFY.

Karmafaerie

SarahBM wrote: »

Togo have pulled out according to SSN but the tournament still going ahead.

What did those "people" think they were going to achieve by shooting a football team!

They've claimed that they were aiming for the Angolan security escort, not the players.

Spiritoftheseventies

Karmafaerie wrote: »

They've claimed that they were aiming for the Angolan security escort, not the players.

Players were forced to take refuge under their seats. Someone else remarked they were shot at like dogs.

Karmafaerie

bayviewclose wrote: »

Players were forced to take refuge under their seats. Someone else remarked they were shot at like dogs.

I'm simply stating what they "claimed".
That's how they're saying it played out.

Also, while you're hidding under a seat, and worried about your life, I don't think observing who the official targets are would be premier in my mind.
I'd be seeing my life flash before my eyes, and praying to Allah, Buddha, Xenu, and Jebus to save me!

The rebels/terrorists/freedom fighters (perspective and all) claim that the players weren't the target.

That's all I'm saying.

anonymous_joe

SarahBM wrote: »

Togo have pulled out according to SSN but the tournament still going ahead.

What did those "people" think they were going to achieve by shooting a football team!

Global recognition for their cause. THey feel that Angola's exploiting them for the oil and want independence.

They're no different to the IRA, Eta or your terrorist group of choice.

SarahBM

SarahBM wrote: »

What did those "people" think they were going to achieve by shooting a football team!

Notoriety. They have that now.

redout

Togo have pulled out of the tournament.

2 more died this morning. The keeper and a physio.

Tournament in doubt to be honest.

GLaDOS

BBC with a short video showing the players, my heart ges out to them, awful experience

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/8449611.stm

Emmanuel Adebayor wrote:

You cannot sleep after what we have seen - one of your team-mates with bullets in his body in front of you, crying and losing consciousness

Mayo Exile

Terrible incident. Phil Brown of Hull City has called for Premier League players to be released by their countries. This also begs the question as to why FIFA still allows this tournament to be held out of synch with the rest of the football calendar. FIFA should act and force it to be held in the off season like the European Championships.

GLaDOS

Mayo Exile wrote: »

FIFA should act and force it to be held in the off season like the European Championships.

The off season isn't the same all around the world

Mayo Exile

Mayo Exile wrote: »

Terrible incident. Phil Brown of Hull City has called for Premier League players to be released by their countries. This also begs the question as to why FIFA still allows this tournament to be held out of synch with the rest of the football calendar. FIFA should act and force it to be held in the off season like the European Championships.

In the African rainy season?

Yeah great idea.

ArmaniJeanss

Mayo Exile wrote: »

This also begs the question as to why FIFA still allows this tournament to be held out of synch with the rest of the football calendar. FIFA should act and force it to be held in the off season like the European Championships.

Whatever little bit of money is swirling around at the grassroots of African football comes from this tournamant.
Put it up against the European Championships/Copa America in June and the sponsors (generally the same sponsors for both competitions) would lose interest, and the viewing figures around the world would be negligible.

Now before anyone leaps on the 'its all about money then' bandwagon, if this money wasn't going to African football then its quite likely that not all those African players would have had facilities to play the game in the first place, and wouldn't have made it through to the highest levels of European club football.

So if you stop 'the hassle of having to release them to play a tournament in January' then you actually lead to a situation where in 10/12 years time there would be less African players making it through.

Karmafaerie

I'm a big fan of the ANC in theory.
Just hate the way it's run.

anonymous_joe

Mayo Exile wrote: »

Terrible incident. Phil Brown of Hull City has called for Premier League players to be released by their countries. This also begs the question as to why FIFA still allows this tournament to be held out of synch with the rest of the football calendar. FIFA should act and force it to be held in the off season like the European Championships.

Because a tournament in Africa in teh summer wouldn't be possible?

Spiritoftheseventies

Mayo Exile wrote: »

FIFA should act and force it to be held in the off season like the European Championships.

Doesn't matter what time they hold it really. Player safety and staff safety is a 365 day issue tbh

ArmaniJeanss

anonymous_joe wrote: »

Because a tournament in Africa in teh summer wouldn't be possible?

People often refer to the weather, but I don't think its an issue at all.
The continent is in both hemispheres so it would be quite possible to stage it in any desired climate any month of the year.

As I said earlier I think the January thing is purely to maximise the success of the competition - moving it permamantly to June/July is desirable in the long term, but would be a huge financial kick-in-the-teeth for African football at the moment. Maybe in 20 years time.

Mossy Monk

anonymous_joe wrote: »

Because a tournament in Africa in teh summer wouldn't be possible?

Africa isn't 50 degrees all over in the summer time. It is a pretty big place.

I think the problem is if it was held when the European season ends then it would clash with the World Cup seeing as it is every 2 years rather than 4 like the European equivilent.

flahavaj

Mossy Monk wrote: »

Africa isn't 50 degrees all over in the summer time. It is a pretty big place.

I think the problem is if it was held when the European season ends then it would clash with the World Cup seeing as it is every 2 years rather than 4 like the European equivilent.

Is there a particular reason its every 2 years instead of every four like the WC and Euros? To promote the game in the continent?

ArmaniJeanss

flahavaj wrote: »

Is there a particular reason its every 2 years instead of every four like the WC and Euros? To promote the game in the continent?

ACN every 2 years. Gold Cup (CONCACAF) evey 2 years. Copa Americas is on a rotation of 2 year gap, then 3 year gap (call it once every 2.5 years !).

So the European Championships and Asian Cup (also 4 years) are actually the anomally.

'Promotion' is probably the reason alright.

everdead.ie

Why don't they consider making the tournament say in 2011 and 2013 and so on when there is no world cup or euro's the main problem is that if they did it during the summer some countries might never be able to host it during there rainy season

ArmaniJeanss

everdead.ie wrote: »

Why don't they consider making the tournament say in 2011 and 2013 and so on when there is no world cup or euro's the main problem is that if they did it during the summer some countries might never be able to host it during there rainy season

Having it on the current rotation allows them to combine the qualifiers for the World Cup with the qualifiers for the ACN of the same year.
So the qualifying for the current World Cup saw the winners of each group qualify for the WC and the Top 3 in each group qualifying for the ACN (in 10 years time there'll be a pub quiz question about which team took part in qualifying for the World Cup even though they were hosts, and you'll be able to answer South Africa )

If they did as you suggest they'd need to have a set of qualifying games for 2013 ACN, 2014 WC, 2015 ANC. Not impossible, but messy and a lot of extra games in the calendar (which would cause even more tantrums from certain managers).