Togo Banned From Next Two Africa Cups of Nations

[Djmiles]

You silly people.

Football is FAR more important than human lives. You should know this by now.

 

[beorhthelm]

Its odd though because the players wanted to play on, but it was the government who called them back, maybe (just maybe) the ban & fine is being imposed as FIFA are trying to say the players should have been allowed to play if they wish instead of the politics of the government calling the team back??

thats exactly what this is about.

Uder the circumstances FIFA need to revise this decision, failure to do should provoke ALL FIFA Members ignoring any future directives.

FIFA cant revise the decision because its their rules being applied. if they intervene they will have to redraw the rule book surrounding government involvment in the sport. The Togo government shouldnt have instructed the team to return. its not a nice situtuation, but there we are.

 

[seven stands]

I see the bbc reporter has forgotten that the bus driver was killed aswell

 

[bhaexpress]

thats exactly what this is about.



FIFA cant revise the decision because its their rules being applied. if they intervene they will have to redraw the rule book surrounding government involvment in the sport. The Togo government shouldnt have instructed the team to return. its not a nice situtuation, but there we are.

FIFA can do anything they want if they so desired. This is an insane decision and to ignore it would make FIFA look even more stupid than ever.

 

[Gully]

Surely this is another case where a rule has been applied without deference to common sense...the Togo team were subjected to a long and protracted attack by people wielding guns, several members of the party paid with their lives, the Togolese government got nervous and forbade their team from playing in the tournament.

Togo should challenge this ruling on the grounds that the safety of their players could not be guaranteed for the duration of the tournament, if they don't the gunmen will have won!

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Teams should threaten to pull out of the world cup if nothing is done.

 

[rcf0712]

And this is the confederation that hosts the World Cup in a few months.....yoiks.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I think the other African nations need to show a bit of solidarity here.

Basically, the terrorist have won on 3 counts:

1. They got the publicity they wanted.
2. They got Togo to withdraw.
3. They've now put a spanner in the works for African football longer-term.

FIFA should intervene either by a hardline approach or by using the world cup as leverage by telling South Africa to pull out in sympathy for Togo, thereby forcing the CAF hand.

 

[sydney]

africa-politics-

 

[pasty]

Disgraceful

 

[Questions]

TIA mate. Nothing done in that continent ever surprises me, because most of them are mental.

 

[Bluejuice]

I think its time FIFA stepped in.

The who Cup is a joke, The dates its held, the fact its every two years, the standard of the refs.

The African Cup of Nations has actually been around longer than the European Championships and has always been held at the same time of year. It's only in recent years as the quality of African players has got better that we take so much notice of it in England as our clubs are affected by it.

You can't go moving a traditional age old tournament to satisfy European football clubs

 

[Gritt23]

This is just about the most stupid decision a footballing governing body has ever made .... and that is up against some pretty stiff competition.

 

[severnside gull]

Absolute disgrace

 

[ATFC Seagull]

thats exactly what this is about.



FIFA cant revise the decision because its their rules being applied. if they intervene they will have to redraw the rule book surrounding government involvment in the sport. The Togo government shouldnt have instructed the team to return. its not a nice situtuation, but there we are.

Any country would do it though. If you go on the FCO website, there is a massive list of countries that the British government is telling its citizens not to go to, just as the Togolese decided to do. In fact, I'd wager that that part of Angola is probably on there.

It is unlikely, but I could hypothetically see a situation in which British athletes (perhaps England cricket in Pakistan or the Commonwealth Games in that part of the world) could come under attack and be summoned home by the government, despite it potentially being against some of their wishes. You have to remember that whilst you can keep the athletes under army guard etc, there will be supporters who don't have such luxuries.

I'm all for keeping political interference out of sport, but this sort of situation is not really what that law is meant for surely.