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THE PITCH
07 February 2010 By Linda Maher
Just two and a half months ago, fans from across the world united with Ireland in calling for something to be done about Thierry Henry’s handball in the World Cup play-off game in Paris.
We were understandably annoyed in this country as it appeared (and later transpired) that Fifa were going to do nothing about it, so ending any chance we had of qualifying for this summer’s World Cup.
We were joined in our annoyance by fellow football fans the world over, mainly through the medium of social networking sites and fan blogs.
The tale of our plight ran internationally on news bulletins; Charlize Theron even made her own stand against the decision by reading out Ireland instead of France in the World Cup practice draw.
While all of this support is much appreciated, one can’t help wondering why the same support hasn’t been shown to the Togo national team, following last week’s news that they have been suspended from the next two African Nations championships by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Their crime? Having two of their delegation and their driver killed during a shooting ambush of their team bus on their way to last month’s African Nations tournament. Togo were also fined $50,000 for their troubles.
Even during the tournament, I found myself amazed at the farce surrounding Togo’s absence.
There was some confusion after the shootings about whether Togo would play in the tournament, but even after it became clear that they wouldn’t, the organisers continued to make an example of them, making Ghana take to the pitch and kick off what should have been their opening match against Togo. They later awarded the game to Ghana after their opponents ‘‘failed to fulfil their obligations’’.
Their obligations? Surely their obligation was to their players and their players’ families, and they had to put their safety first.
The ban with which they have since been hit is said to be because of ‘‘government interference’’, which may have taken place, but surely someone had to interfere and get the rest of the Togo squad home to their families?
Some of the players have since claimed that they wanted to stay and play in the tournament, and this is why the CAF is claiming that the state interfered. But at the time of the decision not to play, surely it was just a matter of someone having to grab the bull by the horns and make a call. I’m sure not many of them were thinking straight.
So where is the global support for the Togo team?
Imagine if, God forbid, something like this happened to England or the US or Brazil at this summer’s World Cup. Would they be suspended from future competitions and hit with ridiculous fines? I think not.
If this decision is allowed to stand, it is a poor reflection on the value of football compared to the value of human life.
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