CAF is as close as you can get to Evil

[theexorcist]

Or at least clueless.

Togo was the victim of a terrorist attack during the runup to the African Cup of Nations in Angola. The attack occurred in Cabinda, an area detached from Angola and with a vocal minority who wants independence. The attack killed two members of the staff and injured a backup goalkeeper.

Togo's players voted to leave, then stay, then were pulled back by their government given safety concerns.

Today, CAF struck back. And banned Togo from two straight African Cup of Nations.

www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/01/30/african.nations.cup.togo.ban/index.html?hpt=Sbin

That'll teach them to get shot at.

[The Stig]

When I first read this, I was absolutely shocked and horrified, but when you read a bit deeper, it's not as black and white. While I ultimately disagree with the punishment, I can see where the CAF is coming from.

The key part that most people will overlook is that, according to CAF, the Togo players wanted to stay and continue the tournament. Their government then stepped in and pulled them out. That constitutes political interference in soccer, which is absolutely forbidden by FIFA, and an especially sensitive issue for CAF because it's been a problem there before.

However, I still think CAF acted wrongly. For starters, it wasn't exactly clear what the Togo players wanted to do. There were various conflicting reports in the aftermath, some saying they wanted to play, some saying they wanted to leave. The second issue is that CAF offered the team absolutely zero support or accommodation in the aftermath. They basically acted like the incident never happened, and I think they refused Togo's request to delay their first match.

So while CAF isn't pure evil for doing this, they're still in the wrong.

[kghoya]

i wish cameroon had lost early b/c arsenal needs song