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African Cup of Nations 2010: Togo Team Guide

Togo may have shot to world attention during the 2006 World Cup, but progress since for the Sparrowharks has been laboured. Qualification for the 2010 African Cup of Nations was achieved in the final match amid court appeals to FIFA over illegible players and internal divisions in the squad between the manager and the players.

Just under four years ago Togo were preparing for a bright future having sealed both qualification to the 2006 African Cup of Nations and a surprise appearance at the FIFA World Cup to be held later that year in Germany. However, it’s been nearly all downhill from the high of topping a World Cup group that contained the like of Senegal, Mali and Congo, all at the time better fancied than the little known side from West Africa.

However, the disappointments soon started coming and the optimism of making it through to the World Cup was quickly checked with a dose of reality when they finished bottom of their group in the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, losing all three matches in the process. That failure cost Stephen Keshi, the Nigerian coach who had taken Togo to the World Cup his job, and thus began a merry go round of managers, which has seen them appoint six since, including a re-appearance for Keshi.

A downward trend

The lack of stability within the management of the national team soon took its toll. The most apparent rift occurred during the World Cup when FIFA had to intervene to persuade Togo to even fulfil its fixtures after they announced their intention to sit out the second game against Switzerland over a row about missing payments and bonuses.

A failure to make it to the 2008 African Cup of Nations, just 18 months after appearing at the World Cup compounded Togo’s misery as they finished behind Benin and Mali in their four-team group. Performance has picked up slightly, although it took a last day win against Gabon to secure a place at the 2010 African Cup of Nations and the campaign included a defeat away to the then ranked 161st Swaziland.

Togo have been further hampered by having to play their home games away from their home stadium, the 30,000 Stade de Kegue after CAF placed an indefinite ban on home fixtures following an outbreak of violence in the immediate aftermath of their failure to make it to the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

Furthermore organisation within the Togolese FA also appears to leave something to be desired at the moment after the suspended Abdul Mamah was included in the starting XI in the 3-0 defeat in Gabon during the second phase group qualification. Mamah, who had been booked in the 1-0 win against Cameroon late on, shouldn’t have been played, and FIFA awarded the game to Gabon by the same score-line that they won it by anyway. However in the aftermath of that decision Morocco also lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) and FIFA claiming that their subsequent 0-0 draw with Togo should also be turned into a 3-0 walkover result. Ultimately that appeal was unsuccessful, but it forced the Togolese FA into a lengthy arbitrary process, which was just another distraction

Managerial merry go-round

And if all that wasn’t enough, qualification was secured against a backdrop of yet more managerial instability with the previous incumbent Belgian Jean Thissen being sacked amidst allegations that he had been in talks with the Cameroon FA and causing rifts with key players. He was dismissed in October and now Frenchman Hubert Velud has taken over what is clearly something of a ‘hot-seat’. The former Reims goalkeeper took Clermont-Foot to the English equivalent of the League 1 title back in 2002 and claims he employs both a psychological and physical approach to management. Whatever the case, he’ll have his work cut out to ensure some stability within the Togolese camp ahead of the tournament, never mind actually achieving results in arguably the toughest of all four groups at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

Squad

Goalkeepers � Kossi Agassa (Istres), Kodjovi Obilale (Pontivy), Baba Tchagouni (Dijon)

Defenders � Abdoul Mamah (Sheriff Tiraspol), Eric Akoto (Maccabi Azi Nazareth), Richmond Forson (Thouars), Emmanuel Mathias (Hapoel Petach Tikva), Sergo Akakpo (Vaslui), Assimou Toure (Bayer Leverkusen), Kwami Eninful (US Monastir), Hamilton (Sport Recife)

Midfielders � Moustapha Salifou (Aston Villa), Yao Junior Senaya (Dibba Al-Hasn), Komlan Amewou (Stromsgodset), Alaixys Romao (Grenoble), Guillaume Brenner (Larnaca FC), Serge Gakpe (Monaco), Razak Boukari (Lens)

Attackers � Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City), Thomas Dossevi (Nantes), Jonathan Ayite (Nimes)

Players to Watch

With five goals in qualifying, Emmanuel Adebayor may take the eye, but the Sparrowharks will be expecting a good deal more from the striker who transferred to nouveau-riche Manchester City in the summer. Four of his strikes came against minnows Swaziland, and although he proved his worth against Cameroon by netting the only goal in a crucial 1-0 win that was only one of three goals Togo managed in the entire third round qualifying campaign.

Providing ammunition for Adebayor will be Monaco’s exciting midfielder Serge Gakpe. He may have only managed three sub appearances for his Ligue 1 employers this season, but on his day Gakpe can be thrillingly unpredictable. Preferring a role in behind the main forward, the pairing of Gapke and Adebayor could be a profitable route for Togo as they look to recreate the form that took them to the World Cup in 2006.

Fixtures

11th Jan � Ghana

15th Jan � Burkina Faso

19th Jan � Ivory Coast

Prediction

Set against such a turbulent back-drop, it was always going to be an uphill task to get Togo out of the group, but after being placed into arguably the toughest of the four pools, the job has become nigh on impossible. With Ghana and the Ivory Coast clearly a good deal further in their development, Togo will be aiming to avoid last place in the group rather than targeting the quarter-finals.

Posted by Walter Townsend on Monday, 28th December 2009

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