Source: Daily_Mail
Togo terrorist attack is threat to the 2010 World Cup finals
It was football's worst nightmare. The four weeks in January which were meant to herald an African football carnival have turned instead to carnage.[LNB] As details emerged last night of the horrific attack on the team bus carrying Togo's players across the border into Cabinda, a province of Angola, it left growing fears about the future not just of the Africa Cup of Nations but of the World Cup in South Africa itself.[LNB] Fear factor: Emmanuel Adebayor knew what to expect[LNB] The decision to take the game's most colourful tournaments to a region that was scarred by a bitter civil war was always a gamble.[LNB] But the organisers reckoned it a risk worth taking to show the world how the continent was moving into a new era.[LNB] Instead last night there were calls from England's Premier League clubs for their players to come back home as the full shock began to sink in. And the question will be asked: 'If Angola can't keep players safe from terrorists, can South Africa protect the world's biggest stars in the summer?'[LNB] Security was already a major issue for those travelling to the World Cup, and not only for the players and coaches. Even journalists and TV men heading to cover the competition have been told they will have armed guards and 24-hour security.[LNB] Last night as Portsmouth became the first club to ask officially for their players to be brought home if their security cannot be guaranteed, all those fears were being brought into sharper focus.[LNB] You only had to listen to the account of Togo's Nantes striker, Thomas Dossevi, to understand the fear that will hang around the remainder of this tournament - if it goes ahead.[LNB] Dossevi said: 'We'd just crossed the border when we were fired upon - machine gun fire, even though we were surrounded by police cars, both in front and behind us.[LNB] 'It was clearly an ambush, it's unbelievable. When we felt the bullets hitting the bus, everybody hit the floor. Your survival instinct kicks in and we were just glad when it was over.[LNB] 'It lasted about 10 to 15 minutes, which is a really long time believe me. The only thing you can do in this type of situation is to lie quiet on the floor, sit still, don't move.[LNB] 'But still two players were shot. Blood was pouring down the floor of the bus. Members of our medical staff were shot too - and we don't have news of their health at the moment.'[LNB] It should not have been a surprise. Togo had ignored advice not to travel by coach in a country where many roads are still unsafe because of landmines left from the years of bitter civil war. Britain's Foreign Office advises: 'We advise against all but essential travel to the interior of Cabinda province.'[LNB] T ogo's horrified players have already said they don't want to play their first game, due to be against Ghana on Monday, but even respected African voices have joined the calls for the tournament to be scrapped.[LNB] Claude Leroy, a former Cameroon and Ghana coach, insisted: 'You have to ask the question. Football's just a game. This is really serious and means that safety cannot be guaranteed. These local hotspots can be really dangerous. The Confederation of African Football is going to have to take a decision.'[LNB] Two English-based players escaped the gunfire. Manchester City and Aston Villa made frantic efforts to contact Emmanuel Adebayor and Moustapha Salifou and were relieved to learn both were safe.[LNB] But the clubs of the other 26 English- based players will be just as worried this morning that this could turn out to be the first of other incidents. They have already made representations to the Premier League.[LNB] Last night the FA confirmed: 'We are in contact with various English clubs who have players involved and we will continue to ensure we are kept up to speed with all developments.'[LNB] Angola won the bid to stage this tournament to prove how they had climbed back from decades of violence, and its government was clearly banking on the tournament as a chance to show the world the progress they have made A building boom fuelled by oil wealth has included £62million spent on new stadiums in Cabinda and three Angolan cities for the tournament. While the rest of the world has been in recession, Angola were forecasting economic growth of eight per cent this year.[LNB] But all that was against the background of unrest left from the civil war, and the main oil-producing region has been plagued by unrest.[LNB] Human rights groups have accused the military of atrocities and claim government officials have embezzled millions of dollars in oil revenue. An added worry for the World Cup is the realisation that sports stars are targets for terror. This was the second gun attack on a sports team in less than a year.[LNB] Several players were injured and six policemen were killed when gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team's bus in Lahore, Pakistan, in March 2009.That resulted in all cricket tours of Pakistan being called off.[LNB] Despite all the worries of terrorist attack, until yesterday the players - even the biggest names - were fully behind the efforts to showcase African football in Angola. Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor explained: 'We were born in Africa so we know what it's about. Some people might be afraid which is normal, I can understand that. [LNB]But I'm going back to Africa, to one of the countries on my continent, and I'm prepared for Cabinda. I will enjoy myself.'[LNB] That was what everybody was hoping for. An African festival. Instead they have an Africa driven by a fear that could even affect the World Cup in South Africa. [LNB] [LNB]
