Togo national football team

Togo

Nickname(s)	Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks)
Association	Fédération Togolaise de Football
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Head coach	Didier Six
Captain	Serge Akakpo
Top scorer	Emmanuel Adebayor (23)
Home stadium	Stade de Kégué
FIFA code	TOG
FIFA ranking	100
Highest FIFA ranking	46 (August 2006)
Lowest FIFA ranking	123 (April 1994)
Elo ranking	115
Highest Elo ranking	56 (November 2005, January 2006)
Lowest Elo ranking	128 (4 September 1994)
Home colours Away colours
First international
French Togoland 1–1 Gold Coast (French Togoland; 13 October 1956)
Biggest win
Togo 6–0 Swaziland (Accra, Ghana; 11 November 2008)
Biggest defeat
Morocco 7–0 Togo (Morocco; 28 October 1979) Tunisia 7–0 Togo (Tunis, Tunisia; 7 January 2000)
World Cup
Appearances	1 (First in 2006)
Best result	Round 1
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	6 (First in 1972)
Best result	Round 1

Members of the Togolese national football team before a warm-up match in Biberach/Riss a few days before the 2006 World Cup

The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football. They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus underwent a fatal attack in Angola prior to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. They withdrew and were subsequently banned from the following two tournaments by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History

They made their first FIFA World Cup appearance in their history in 2006, having been coached throughout the qualifying campaign by Stephen Keshi; German coach Otto Pfister managed the team at the finals, despite having resigned three days before their first match over a players' bonuses dispute, only to be persuaded by the players to return. Although Togo have qualified for the World Cup, they have never advanced past the first stage of the African Nations Cup. Prior to gaining independence in 1960, the team were known as French Togoland.

2006 World Cup

Togo lost their opening game of the World Cup, despite having taken the lead against South Korea through a goal by Mohamed Kader. In the second half, Jean-Paul Abalo was sent off after 55 minutes, and goals from Lee Chun-Soo and Ahn Jung-Hwan sealed a 2–1 defeat for Togo.

Togo's next opponents in Group G were Switzerland, with the match scheduled for the afternoon of 19 June. However, the Togo squad and manager Pfitser threatened to refuse to fulfill the fixture and take strike action. The squad and manager had been quoted as requesting payments from the Fédération Togolaise de Football for participating in the tournament of around €155,000 (US$192,000) with added bonuses for victories or draws. FIFA negotiated with the squad and manager on 17 June, persuading them to travel to Dortmund in time to fulfill the fixture; goals from Alexander Frei and Tranquillo Barnetta resulted in a 2–0 defeat. FIFA subsequently imposed a CHF100,000 fine on the Togolese federation for "behaviour unworthy of a participant in the World Cup."

Togo's final group game against France ended in 2–0 defeat.

Sierra Leone air disaster

Main article: 2007 Paramount Airlines helicopter crash

After a 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier away to Sierra Leone on 3 June 2007, 20 members of a delegation of sports officials from Togo, including Togolese Sports Minister Richard Attipoe, were killed when their helicopter exploded and crashed at Lungi International Airport. No players of the Togo national team were among the victims. The Togo players and officials of the team had been waiting to take the next helicopter flight to the island on which the airport is located.

2010 bus ambush and ban

Main article: Togo national football team attack

On 8 January 2010, the Togo team bus was attacked by gunmen as it travelled to the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, killing three and injuring several others. The separatist group Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) claimed responsibility for the attack. Goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale was reported dead a day after the attack. Such reports were later dismissed by his club GSI Pontivy in a press announcement, stating the player was actually undergoing surgery in South Africa.

Following the bus ambush attack, the Fédération Togolaise de Football stated that they would withdraw from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations; despite claims that the team had since reversed the decision and would compete "to show our national colours, our values and that we are men" (as announced by Thomas Dossevi), the government later ordered that the team return home.

Following the team's withdrawal, The Confederation of African Football (CAF) banned Togo from participating in the next two editions of the Cup of Nations and fined them $50,000 because of the "decision taken by the political authorities". The CAF executive Committee considered that the Togolese team was in "forfeit notified less than twenty days before the start or during the final competition" (Art. 78 of the Regulations for the Africa Cup of Nations), rather than having withdrawn (Art. 80), and refused to consider the circumstances as force majeure (Art. 87). Togo's government immediately said they would sue as CAF "have no consideration for the lives of other human beings" and this is further "insulting to the family of those who lost their lives and those traumatized because of the attack". FIFA has yet to comment on the issue. Togo footballer Thomas Dossevi said "We are a group of footballers who came under fire and now we can't play football any more. They are crushing us". Togolese captain Emmanuel Adebayor described the decision as "outrageous" and said that CAF President Issa Hayatou had "completely betrayed" the Togo squad.

As a result of the events, Emmanuel Adebayor announced his retirement from international football on 12 April 2010. But on 22 March 2011 Adebayor announced that he was again available for the national team.

Fake Togo Team

On 7 September 2010 Togo allegedly played Bahrain in a friendly losing the match 3–0. However, on 14 September, the Togo FA claimed that a fake team had played against Bahrain. Togo's Sport Minister Christophe Tchao said to the Jeune Afrique magazine that nobody in Togo had "ever been informed of such a game". However on 20 September 2010, it was revealed that former Togo manager Bana Tchanile was the culprit and the Togo FA have given him a three year ban in addition to the two year ban he got in July 2010 for taking Togo players to play a tournament in Egypt.

World Cup record

See also: Togo at the FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Did Not Enter
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974	Did Not Qualify
1978
1982
1986	Withdrew
1990
1994	Did Not Qualify
1998
2002
2006	Group Stage	30th	3	0	0	3	1	6
2010	Did Not Qualify
2014	To Be Determined
2018
2022
Total	Group Stage	1/19	3	0	0	3	1	6

African Nations Cup record

Africa Cup of Nations
Year	Position	Year	Position	Year	Position
1957	Did not enter	1978	Did not qualify	1998	Round 1
1959	Did not enter	1980	Did not qualify	2000	Round 1
1962	Did not enter	1982	Did not qualify	2002	Round 1
1963	Did not enter	1984	Round 1	2004	Did not qualify
1965	Did not enter	1986	Did not qualify	2006	Round 1
1968	Did not qualify	1988	Did not qualify	2008	Did not qualify
1970	Did not qualify	1990	Withdrew	2010	Withdrew due to rebel attack
1972	Round 1	1992	Did not qualify	2012	Did not qualify
1974	Withdrew	1994	Withdrew during qualifying
1976	Did not qualify	1996	Did not qualify

Current Squad

The following 23-man squad was selected by coach Stephen Keshi, for the 2014 FIFA Wold Cup qualifying match again Guinea-Bissau on 11 November 2011.

Caps and Goals correct as of 1 November 2011.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Kossi Agassa 2 July 1978 (1978-07-02) 52 0 Stade Reims 16 GK Mawugbe Atsou 20 August 1986 (1986-08-20) 2 0 Maranatha 22 GK Juvénal Pedomey 21 January 1982 (1982-01-21) 1 0 Eu 2 DF Abdoul-Gafar Mamah 24 August 1985 (1985-08-24) 44 0 Dacia Chişinău 3 DF Daré Nibombé 16 June 1980 (1980-06-16) 36 0 Free 5 DF Serge Akakpo 15 October 1987 (1987-10-15) 20 0 Žilina 12 DF Senah Mango 13 December 1991 (1991-12-13) 10 1 Monaco 15 DF Sadat Ouro-Akoriko 1 February 1988 (1988-02-01) 4 0 Free State Stars 18 DF Ayara Samoudini 15 July 1990 (1990-07-15) 1 0 Okiti Badou 19 DF Donou Kokou 24 April 1991 (1991-04-24) 0 0 Maranatha 4 MF Dové Wome 8 June 1991 (1991-06-08) 5 0 Free State Stars 6 MF Komlan Amewou 15 December 1983 (1983-12-15) 38 4 Nîmes 7 MF Alaixys Romao 18 January 1984 (1984-01-18) 34 0 Lorient 10 MF Floyd Ayité 15 February 1988 (1988-02-15) 11 1 Angers 11 MF Razak Boukari 25 April 1987 (1987-04-25) 6 0 Rennes 13 MF Zakari Morou 30 August 1988 (1988-08-30) 6 0 Free State Stars 14 MF Atakora Lalawelé 9 November 1990 (1990-11-09) 4 0 AIK 21 MF Prince Segbefia 11 March 1991 (1991-03-11) 2 0 Auxerre 23 MF Amétépé Kodjo 3 October 1990 (1990-10-03) 1 0 Maranatha 8 FW Emmanuel Adebayor 26 February 1984 (1984-02-26) 42 23 Tottenham Hotspur 9 FW Jonathan Ayité 21 July 1985 (1985-07-21) 10 2 Brest 17 FW Serge Gakpé 7 May 1987 (1987-05-07) 9 1 Nantes 20 FW Kondo Arimiyaou 18 February 1991 (1991-02-18) 2 2 Okiti Badou

Team managers

• Eberhard Vogel (1997–98)
• Antônio Dumas (2002–04)
• Stephen Keshi (2004–06)
• Otto Pfister (2006)

• Stephen Keshi (2006–08)
• Henri Stambouli (2008)
• Kodjovi Mawuéna (2008–09)
• Jean Thissen (2009)

• Hubert Velud (2009–10)
• Thierry Froger (2010–2011)
• Stephen Keshi (2011)
• Didier Six (2011, interim)

External links

• Togo FA official site