Remember when the Togo team bus was ambushed during the trip to their African Cup of Nations opener in Cabinda, Angola? Remember how three people died and nine, including two players, were injured?
CAF Logic: Ban A Team From Two Tournaments After Its Bus Is Ambushed
↵After considerable debate, the Togolese government decided to pull the team out of the event. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) disqualified them at this point, which is understandable.
↵However, CAF’s next decision on the matter, made Saturday, is less so.
↵In a blame the victim move that only Paul Shirley could love, CAF banned Togo from the next two editions of the tournament, the 2012 event in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and the 2014 tournament in Libya.
↵The reason, since Togo’s government decided to pull the plug on the team’s campaign, it was not an attempt to keep its citizens safe, but political interference.
↵Now, CAF is well within its rights to stop a team from competing. They banned Nigeria from the 1998 tournament because they withdrew from the 1996 event in South Africa because of a diplomatic row. That’s a real case of political interference that deserves punishment.
↵However, as Richard Connelly of the BBC World Service stated via twitter, CAF didn’t have to make this decision.
↵↵CAF rules do state teams that pull out can be banned, but special circs can be used. In Africa’s big year, what message does this send?
↵↵Expect Togo to appeal this decision. FIFA could also step in here and force CAF to reverse the ban, but I’m not holding my breath on that one.
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