Le bus de la sélection togolaise mitraillé à la frontière entre le Congo et l'Angola

[Al-khiyal]

Après l'attaque contre l'équipe du Togo, faut-il maintenir la CAN ?

Samedi 9 Janvier 2010 -- La CAN n'a pas encore commencé que déjà la compétition africaine fait la Une des journaux au delà du continent. Le mitraillage, vendredi 8 janvier, du bus de l'équipe nationale du Togo par des rebelles dans l'enclave de Cabinda au nord du pays, a fait trois morts, selon le dernier bilan. Dans de telles circonstances, faut-il maintenir ou annuler la compétition? La question est dorénavant posée dans le monde du football professionnel. Un peu partout, des opinions se lèvent, parmi les joueurs et les équipes présentes en Angola, pour faire observer qu'il serait peut-être plus raisonnable de ne pas maintenir la compétition, alors que visiblement, une certaine insécurité règne dans le pays organisateur. Certains clubs anglais notamment, dans lesquels jouent plusieurs joueurs africains, se sont aussi inquiétés de la sécurité de la compétition. Ainsi, Tottenham demande l'annulation de la CAN. Pour l'entraîneur du club, Harry Redknapp, « on ne peut pas rester là à attendre la prochaine fusillade sans rien faire ». Un autre entraîneur, celui de Hull, a aussi déclaré souhaiter le retour de deux de ses joueurs sélectionnés dans les équipes nationales gabonaise et nigériane. Vendredi, Portsmouth avait émis le souhait de voir ses quatre joueurs africains, dont les deux Algériens Belhadj et Yebda, quitter l’Angola.

Cette attaque moins de deux mois après l'attaque du bus de l'équipe nationale algérienne par des supporters égyptiens au Caire lors des qualifications pour le prochain Mondial. On s'en souvient, à ce moment là, la Fifa n'avait pas jugé utile de réagir fermement pour sanctionner la fédération de football égyptienne ou en tout cas faire en sorte que les mesures de sécurité soient prises pour protéger les joueurs et les Algériens venus encourager leur équipe. Le match entre les deux équipes s'était achevé par des affrontements violents entre les supporters des deux pays. Un aveu de faiblesse d'une certaine manière qui explique cette forte inquiétude aujourd'hui de ces clubs anglais, après un incident où les tirs d'armes à feu ont remplacé les jets de pierres. D'ailleurs la Fifa s'est borné à publier un communiqué sur son site Internet, expliquant que l'organisation attend un « rapport complet sur la situation » et dit « rester en contact avec la Confédération africaine de football (CAF) et son président, Issa Hayatou ».

Les responsables angolais eux, maintiennent que les conditions de sécurité nécessaires à ce type d'évènement sont garanties et que les matchs prévus dans la province de Cabinda ne seront pas reprogrammés ailleurs, malgré les inquiétudes des participants. « Cabinda est une province comme une autre de l'Angola. Il n'y avait pas de raison de ne pas organiser la CAN à Cabinda », a ainsi déclaré le ministre angolais chargé des questions relatives aux droits de l'Homme, Antonio Bento Bembe, même s'il a convenu que « peut-être que les forces de sécurité angolaises ont sous-estimé le pouvoir de nuisance » du Front de Libération de l'Enclave de Cabinda (Flec), qui a perpétré cette attaque. Les autorités angolaises ont par ailleurs souligné que selon les consignes données aux pays participants, l'équipe togolaise n'aurait jamais due se rendre dans le pays par bus. « Nous avons demandé à toutes les délégations de nous informer de la date de leur arrivée (…). Le Togo est le seul pays qui n'a pas répondu et il n'a pas informé le Coca qu'il venait en car. Les règles sont claires: aucune équipe ne devait voyager par car. J'ignore ce qui les a amener à le faire. L'incident n'aurait pas dû se produire », a affirmé Virgilio Santos, membre du comité d'organisation (Coca) dans un quotidien sportif angolais.

[Al-khiyal]

Three dead after soccer team attack

January 9, 2010 -- A goalie for Togo's national soccer team has said on French radio that the death toll from a shooting attack on the team's bus in Angola has risen to three. Goalie Kossi Agassa - who plays for French club Istres - told France-Info radio by phone that a Togo assistant coach and a spokesperson have also died. Agassa said that a second team goalie was badly wounded and transported urgently to South Africa for treatment.

Gunmen in an area in Angola plagued by separatist violence used machine guns to open fire on a bus carrying Togo's soccer team to a tournament in the south-west African country. Angola's Information Minister Manuel Rabelais said that eight team members and one Angolan were injured. In Togo, the government said the Angolan driver was killed. Togo's bus in a convoy from Congo was six miles across the border in Angola when it came under fire. The bus driver died in the 30-minute ambush, according to Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor, who was not hurt. Togo player Thomas Dossevi, who plays for French club Nantes, said that the team wants to pull out of the tournament. "The situation is really compromised. We are expecting news about the injured people and we are hoping to get away from Cabinda today," he said.

The African Football Confederation (CAF) condemned the attack against the Togolese delegation and held an emergency meeting. A delegation of Angolan officials and a CAF delegation are headed to Cabinda, while the Angolan Prime Minister will meet CAF president Issa Hayatou "to take decisions to guarantee the smooth running of the competition". FIFA also expressed "utmost sympathy" in a statement and said it expected a report from CAF.

[Al-khiyal]

Togo withdraws but Africa Cup to go ahead despite attack

Luanda, January 9, 2010 -- The Togo national football side withdrew from the Africa Cup of Nations Saturday, a day after as many as three people were reportedly killed when the team's bus came under fire from separatist rebels as they entered Angola ahead of the tournament. There were conflicting reports of the number of people killed in the attack. Initial reports said the driver of the bus was killed and two players were among the nine wounded. Togo goalkeeper Kossi Agassa however told French radio broadcaster France-Info that in addition to the driver the assistant trainer and an information officer also died. Another of the team's goalkeepers was being treated for his injuries in South Africa, Agassa said. Distraught Togolese players and officials meanwhile made their way to the airport Saturday, while Africa's football governing body announced that the tournament would open the next day despite the attack.

The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened further attacks during the tournament involving 16 teams, which runs until January 31. The African Football Confederation (CAF) condemned the attack but said the tournament would go ahead. The confederation sought assurances from the Angolan government on the safety of players and their teams during the tournament. The government in Luanda condemned what it said was a "terrorist attack." Prime Minister Antonio Paulo Kassoma said however that the attack was an "isolated act" after meeting with CAF President Issa Hayatou. CAF officials said Angolan authorities sent officials to the scene of the attack, around 10 kilometres from the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Suleimanu Habuba, CAF director of communications, said the attack came as a shock. "Our first priority is the safety of the players, but the tournament will go ahead," he said.

Football's world governing body, FIFA meanwhile expressed its dismay at the attack and said it was in touch with the CAF and was expecting a full report on the situation. "FIFA and its President, Joseph S Blatter, are deeply moved by today's incidents which affected Togo`s national team, to whom they express their utmost sympathy," the organization said in a statement. The attack in Angola comes as Africa prepares to host its first FIFA World Cup in neighbouring South Africa later this year. Until now, concerns over Africa`s ability to host the event has centred around the issue of crime rather than terrorism. South Africa's World Cup local organizing committee (LOC) said the attack on the Togo national team was an isolated incident and would not affect the event in June. "We also cannot compare organization and security in Angola with South Africa just because the two countries happen to be in the same region in the world," said LOC spokesman Rich Mkhondo. "We have prepared for any eventuality," he said.

Togo's top player Emmanuel Adebayor and striker Thomas Dossevi have described Friday`s incident. "We had just crossed the border, surrounded by police buses. Everything appeared fine, when suddenly the gunfire opened up," Dossevi told Monte Carlo radio. "They were using automatic weapons, and we came under fire for 20 minutes, hiding under our seats." "My only thought is to call off the competition and go home," he added. "It`s to be honest one of the worst experiences I have ever had in my life," Adebayor, who is also a Manchester City striker, told the BBC. "According to the information provided by the director general, all injured people were taken to a hospital in Cabinda," the CAF statement said. Togolese players had been due to play their first game Monday in Cabinda. The team was drawn into the so-called Group of Death with Ghana, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Players had been training in Confo ahead of their trip to Angola. The FLEC has been involved in a long-running struggle for independence for the Cabinda region, which is separated from the rest of Angola by Congo. A 2006 peace agreement between the two sides sought to bring a formal end to the armed conflict there but sporadic attacks on government forces and expatriate workers have continued. The region is rich in oil reserves.

[Al-khiyal]

Algeria condemns armed attack against Togo national football team in Angola

ALGIERS, January 9, 2010 (KUNA) -- Algeria condemned on Saturday the armed attack against the National football team of Togo which took place last night near the Angola and Congo borders. The team was on its way to participate in the African Nations Cup which is scheduled to kick off tomorrow. A statement from the Algerian football federation said that the federation strongly condemns such a heinous terrorist act by armed men in Angola. The federation noted that such an event represents a negative image of the African continent, particularly since it will host next summer the World Cup finals. The statement presented its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and victims of the attack and wished speedy recovery to the wounded. The Algerian federation also expressed its sincere sympathy to the Togolese Federation and the country's leadership and people. Earlier, Togo's footballers were being recalled from the Africa Cup of Nations by their government following the deadly attack on the team's bus in Angola. Togo's assistant coach, press officer and the driver were killed. Two players were shot and injured in Friday's attack.

[Al-khiyal]

CAN 2010 :
Le Togo se retire et fustige l’attitude de la CAF

Samedi 9 Janvier 2010 -- L’équipe du Togo a décidé de ne pas participer à la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations (CAN) qui débutera, dimanche 10 janvier, en Angola. Cette décision a été prise samedi, au lendemain de l’attaque du bus de la sélection togolaise qui a fait au moins trois morts parmi les membres de la délégation. Le Togo est la seule équipe à avoir officiellement annoncé son retrait de la compétition. « Le Togo a décidé de se retirer de la CAN », a déclaré à la chaîne de télévision France 24, Pascal Bodjona, porte-parole du gouvernement togolais. M. Bodjoni a fustigé l'attitude de la Confédération africaine de football (CAF), qui maintien le programme comme prévu et n'aurait « pas contacté le gouvernement » togolais après ce drame.

[Al-khiyal]

Togo attack:
Cabinda to be scrapped as African Cup of Nations venue

January 9, 2010 -- Angolan officials will beef up security measures in the wake of the terrorist attack on the Togo squad at the African Cup of Nations on Friday. The local organising committee has been fiercely criticised for scheduling games in the violently unstable region of Cabinda, which is embroiled in a long-running struggle for independence. Togo’s squad, which withdrew from the tournament on Saturday, were attacked by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, a rebel group which has vowed to carry out more attacks.

Cabinda’s 20,000-capacity stadium is now set to be scrapped as a venue for the competition, with the remaining teams in Togo’s group – Burkina Faso, Ghana and Ivory Coast – likely to be moved to Angola’s capital, Luanda. Fixtures in Group A, including Sunday night’s curtain-raiser between Angola and Mali, are already due to be played in the city’s new November 11 Stadium, but the former national stadium, Estádio da Cidadela, has been placed on standby to host matches that had been due to take place in Cabinda. That includes the quarter-final tie between the winners of Group A and runners-up in Group B on January 24.

Togo’s withdrawal has not overly complicated the issue of qualification from Group C, with the top two sides in the table still set to progress to the last eight, but all the remaining sides are likely to demand improved protection from the Angolan authorities following the Cabinda atrocity. Burkina Faso, Ghana and Ivory Coast’s players and officials are likely to be housed in military barracks in Luanda, rather than hotels, while Nigeria have already requested a military convoy to accompany them on all trips. “We are monitoring the situation, but we have asked for additional security, including a military escort for our team,” said Nigeria chief media officer Ademola Olajire. “We are aware that the shooting took place well away from where our team is, but we would like to assure Nigerians that we are doing everything to ensure that the players are safe.”

Angolan Prime Minister Paulo Kassoma met with African football officials in Luanda to reassure them of the safety of players on the eve of the competition and his office on Saturday night moved to reassure competing nations and supporters that his country is safe. “The prime minister considers the incident in Cabinda as an isolated act and repeated that the security of Togo’s team and the other squads is guaranteed,” a statement read.

[Al-khiyal]

Togo team to return from Africa soccer cup: captain

CABINDA, Angola, January 10, 2010 (Reuters) – Togo's national team will return home and not compete in Africa's biggest soccer tournament, captain Emmanuel Adebayor said on Sunday, after gunmen killed a squad coach and press officer in an ambush. Friday's ambush shows how easily insurgents can grab world headlines with attacks on soft targets and raises questions about security for the soccer World Cup in South Africa in June, but South African President Jacob Zuma dismissed any comparison.

After the initial shock of the attack, Togolese players, their head coach and national soccer officials all said they would remain in the competition, but their prime minister ordered the team home and sent a plane to bring them back. "We had a meeting between players yesterday and we told ourselves we were football players and decided to do something nice for our country by playing to pay tribute to those who died," Adebayor told French radio RMC on Sunday. "Unfortunately, the head of state and the country's authorities have made a different decision, so we will pack and go home." Togo midfielder Thomas Dossevi told Reuters: "We're going home, we're obliged to, the government wants us to. If they are still going to play matches in Cabinda, there will be more problems there. We're afraid for the other teams."

Togo were due to play Ghana on Monday. Team media officer Stanislas Ocloo, assistant coach Amalete Abalo and a driver were killed when gunmen from the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda fired on the team bus in Cabinda, a territory separate from the rest of Angola. Seven people were wounded including reserve goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale, who is now in a stable condition in a South African hospital after surgery. The attack, staged by a separatist group Angola's government recently said no longer existed, cast a shadow over an event supposed to show Angola at peace after years of civil war.

The African Cup of Nations is due to start with fireworks and champagne at a massive stadium in the capital Luanda, where the hosts play Mali in the opening match later on Sunday. Angola has spent $1 billion building stadiums, roads and hotels for the competition, which brings together Africa's best national teams. The biennial tournament, which lasts until January 31, will be broadcast live around the world. Cabinda, the scene of FLEC attacks even after Angola's 27-year civil war ended in 2002, provides half the oil output of the country, which rivals Nigeria as Africa's biggest producer.

South Africa's Zuma arrived in Angola to attend Sunday's opening ceremony. He stressed that his country remains 100 percent ready to host the World Cup, and said the Angolan attack had no bearing on the tournament in South Africa. It was the second militant attack on a sports team in a year. In March, six policemen and a driver died when gunmen attacked a bus carrying Sri Lanka's cricket team in Pakistan. Despite South African assurances, security analysts said outsiders involved in June's World Cup are unlikely to ignore the Angolan attack and will want to review security. South Africa is the first African nation to hold the world's biggest single-sport event.