African Sports, Administrators, and Senseless Failures

It was with regret that I stumbled on the news of the crude and unnecessary attack on the team bus of the Togolese National team, leading to the death of three member of the entourage and the anxious wait on the progress of health of the teams deputising goalkeeper.

Many things came to mind at that moment. Would this be the perfect reason for a cancellation of the tournament (only just hours away from kickoff)? Would this lead to a diplomatic fallout between both countries concerned? Would the European clubs recall their players back to base on the premise of security failure? Indeed, many came to mind.

As the questions rushed in, so did many reasons for such an incident not occurring follow through. I must ask why, it was, that the Togo Football Federation saw it best to transport its contingent by road rather than by air? Why did proper information flow fail to be established with the host country and its intelligence agency, knowing that there have always been tension across the border area of Congo and Angola?

Why the the Angolan Football Federation and CAF fail to check on the travel arrangements of participating countries? Why did the cowards who carried out this nefarious act feel this would be a case for making a statement?

It must be disgusting to note that after all the negative premonition that this event got before its starting, a few unintelligent people who have no right for whatever they are fighting for, to taint the motherland black. In the light of the show of shame, it must make good reading, the poor management of the whole issue, by of embarrassing standard of the Togolese Government and in particular Prime Minister.

I applauded immediately, for how brave the players must be to decide to go ahead with the tournament and play for the pride of their flag and in the memory of those they lost, and while I was looking forward to a tournament charged with emotion and mental toughness of not just the Togolese, but every other team who stuck to their participation, the Prime Minister of Togo compels the team to return to mourn their colleagues!

As if that was not enough, just as we settled down to the realisation that the tournament would go on without one of the scheduled teams, the Togolese Government ridiculously seeks to have their team back again and in so doing disrupt the calender which has come in for its fair share of criticism on the premise of timing.

When would African leaders and Governments make any sensible decisions, especially when it pertains sports?