Change of heart by the players?

The announcement that the players of Togo had decided to withdraw from the tournament was no surprise and in many fans eyes, the right decision.

It would ask a lot from the players to perform after witnessing such scenes when they would much rather be at home with their families. The impact on their families would also have been considered in any decision made.

The longer the players and staff were away, the more worried family members would have become so it wasn’t a shock to hear that Togo were looking to withdraw.

There appears to be a U-turn about his decision though and the indications, on the eve of the tournament, are that Togo will participate.

Tomas Dossevi has told the AFP news agency that the players wish to remain and play to honour the memory of the three people who were killed on the bus.

Alaixys Romao, who plays for Grenoble Foot 38 in Ligue 1 in France made the following statements to L’Equipe;

“We have just had a meeting of the whole delegation and we will be on the pitch on Monday to face Ghana,”

“People have died for the Africa Cup of Nations, others have been injured. We can’t let them down and leave like cowards,”

“If we stay here it’s for them, but also not to give any satisfaction to the rebels. Our government does not necessarily agree with us but we are all determined to play this competition.”

It can only be hoped that these comments are true and that it is the will of the players and coaching staff to participate in the tournament, as opposed to any external pressure.

Togo are scheduled to play their first game on Monday against Ghana while the tournament kicks off on Sunday evening with the host nation Angola playing Mali.

The Togo government states that it is standing by its decision to call the team home but this may change if the mood of the players and coaching staff is so strongly sided towards playing.

Is this the right choice by Togo?

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