Togo team bus shot at - Adebayor safe {merged}

[Manchester_City_Blue]

Several Togolese footballers, in Angola for the African Nations Cup, were injured, some seriously, when their team bus was fired on with machine guns, French Infosport television reported on Friday.

The sports channel said the bus was fired on as the team travelled through the politically unstable Cabinda region bordering Congo.

"Two players have been injured," one player, Thomas Dossevi, told Infosport, which later reported that several players had been seriously hurt.

Organisers of the event said the team bus had simply burst a tyre, causing panic among those inside. After a second enquiry, organisers said they had no knowledge of the incident.

Togo are scheduled to get their campaign underway against Ghana on Monday, however Dossevi said the players had already expressed a wish not to play the tournament.

"We don't feel much like playing the CAN Cup. Our thoughts are with our friends, the injured," said Dossevi, of French second division side Nantes.

Dossevi named goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale of French amateur side GSI Pontivy and defender Serge Akakpo of Romanian outfit Vaslui as among the injured.

He added: "We had just crossed the border (between Congo and Cabinda, where Togo are to play their Group B matches). We had filled in the border formalities and were surrounded by police. Everything was fine. Then there was a powerful burst of gunfire.

"Everyone dived under the seats and the police fired back.

"It felt like war had broken out. It's shocking. When we got off the bus we were asking ourselves what was up."

Akakpo, he said, "took a bullet in the back."

"The official in charge of communications also stopped a bullet - he lost a lot of blood," Dossevi added.

Of Obilale "there is no news" save for the fact that "he was bleeding a lot."

"Getting shot on your way to a football match is just disgusting," said Dossevi, who added he believed that a goalkeeping coach had also been hurt.
Togo, whose skipper is Manchester City forward Emmanuel Adebayor, were set to face Ghana in Cabinda on Monday.

Cabinda had been expected to deploy heavy security at its Chiazi stadium.

Chelsea stars Michael Essien of Ghana and Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba are due to play the group stages there, one of four Cup venues in the country, but not all the security will be for the Premier League stars.

Oil-rich Cabinda, separated from the rest of Angola by the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been embroiled in a long-running independence struggle but is scheduled to host seven Nations Cup matches this month.

The conflict in the region officially ended in a 2006 deal with the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC).

FLEC, however, has made several media claims in recent months about attacks on the military and foreign construction and oil workers based in the province.

Shocking this just says how horrific and terrifying this incident was for them

 

[feedthegoat]

There has already been a lot of talk about a lack of adequate security for the World Cup in South Africa, it's a little naive to think this incident wont see it come under much more scrutiny.

 

[Unknown_Genius]

Are some on here any better though?

<a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=144530&hilit=Munich" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">viewtopic.php?f=1&t=144530&hilit=Munich</a>

There are a few there trying to defend Munich chants.

<a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=154740&hilit=Fergie&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">viewtopic.php?f=1&t=154740&hilit=Fergie&start=0</a>

There are people on the outside who probably read these things and think we're a disgrace.

Just because there are a few nobheads that post here (the clown who started the Fergie thread is about 12,he got slaughtered by the decent posters and it was locked by the mods) is it really the right time to start the self-analysis?

Have a day off,ffs.

No, but it hardly gives a good impression.

 

[lancs blue]

Why? If there was an incident like this in Greece would it affect a tournament being held in England? Those are the sort of distances we're talking about.

the trouble is a lot of african countries are at war or just dangerous as fuck. SA is one of if not the safest and thats not exactly what we would call safe is it?

I've never been to SA but I hadn't noticed anyone trying to kill the England cricket team this last few weeks.

If anything this incident will make the security doubly tight in SA for the World Cup.

 

[B3nStr0ng]

I know its a different part of africa but could this jeopardise the world cup?

If there is even a slight chance anything like this could happen again it should not take place in the same bloody continent.

Its people's lives were talking about here, football bears no comparison, no matter how big the tournament is.

 

[Pam]

How the fuck are the players supposed to get their heads together by Monday and play? I don't think so. Adebayor should come home and Toure shouldn't be expected to stay on without at least some guarantees about security.

 

[BufordUSABlue]

Why? If there was an incident like this in Greece would it affect a tournament being held in England? Those are the sort of distances we're talking about.

the trouble is a lot of african countries are at war or just dangerous as fuck. SA is one of if not the safest and thats not exactly what we would call safe is it?

This incident is simply shocking and the organisers need to take a good long hard look at this and given the gravity of the situation, decide whether the tournement should be scrapped! My thoughts go out to the bus drivers family, he was after all simply doing his job......truly awful !! RIP sir!

With regard to the comparrisons to South Africa, I spent some time, both business and pleasure, in Cape Town in 2008 and found it a wonderful place and felt safe, but did all the right things as one does when in any major cities. That said, we travelled all around The Cape and visited many small towns etc and never once felt threatened...........its a wonderful place and i am looking forward to going back there for the World Cup this year.

 

[feedthegoat]

The difference between an England cricket tour and a world cup are huge. Security for 32 teams is a lot more difficult than for 2 teams.

 

[Pam]

And WTF about the organisers saying it was a burst tyre?

 

[City Raider]

It seems he's ok. But so sad about the driver.

As for the thread, it did make me smile that there seemed to be some doubt as to whether it happened...until SSN confirmed it, despite stories on Talksport and the BBC. Since when did SSN become the beacon of journalism?

and the whole - 'Africa is a danerous place'......similar to saying Europe is a dangerous place.