Togo team bus shot at in Congo

[csider]

black on black gang crime

 

[Wozza]

"Players injured" after shots fired on Togo team bus

The Togo national team bus has been machine-gunned by Angolan rebels on the Congolese border ahead of the African Cup of Nations, it has been reported in L'Equipe.

The Sparrow Hawks are in the country ahead of the African tournament, which gets under way on Sunday.

Two Togo players and the bus driver are reported to have been among the injured. "I am fine but several players are in a bad way," FC Nantes striker Thomas Dossevi told Radio Monte Carlo.

"We are still at hospital. We were attacked like dogs and had to hide for 20 minutes under the seats to avoid the bullets."

Dossevi said the vehicle was attacked by rebels past the Angolan border. "We were shot, although we had two police coaches on our sides" said the Nantes forward. "There are two injured players and also some staff."

The two players injured are reported to be GSI Pontivy goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilalé and Vaslui FC defender Serge Akakpo. Others among the injured are also the coach driver, an assistant coach, a doctor and a journalist who was following the team. Alaixis Romao, the Grenoble player, told RMC he could count seven people injured.

According to RMC, the attack happened around 3.15 pm just after players entered Cabinda, one of the four host venues of the African Cup of Nations. Witnesses said that the attack was very violent and that the team could only protect itself by lying down in the coach with front part of the vehicle especially targeted.

The incident looks set to place in jeopardy the chances of Togo entering the competition. Dossevi confirmed this. "We are not thinking about possible actions yet, but it's true no one wants to play", he said.

"We are not capable. Before everything we have to think of the health of our injured. There was a lot of blood on the floor. We haven't had a lot of updates about their health since they were dispatched to local hospitals. In this case, we think of families, of the people we love because we really could have died there."

 

[KneeOn]

Holy shit... thats bad.

Hope they are alright.

 

[7:18]

horrible news, thoughts are with them!

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Who attacks dogs with machine guns ?

That was exactly my thought

 

[Durlston]

f***.

Sad thing is it's not really surprising.Didier Drogba has to have 24 hour protection while he's out there.Sounds scary shit like when the Sri Lankan cricket team got fired on in Pakistan.

I don't see how they can hold the tournament now thanks to a few rude boys.

Thoughts with the family of the coach driver.

 

[Spun Cuppa]

Don't want to be the harbinger of doom, but the SA police are already putting plans into place for the WC, as they 'expect' fatalities

 

[The Wizard]

Don't want to be the harbinger of doom, but the SA police are already putting plans into place for the WC, as they 'expect' fatalities

Slightly O/T, I'm not sure what others think but to me hosting the World Cup in South Africa is just asking for trouble, it's well known that crime is extremely common in Africa and its something you would have thought the panel making the choice as to where it would be hosted may have taken things like this into account, I fully expect multiple deaths which is not something I would ever dream of saying if it were to have been hosted somewhere else.

 

[Spun Cuppa]

Slightly O/T, I'm not sure what others think but to me hosting the World Cup in South Africa is just asking for trouble, it's well known that crime is extremely common in Africa and its something you would have thought the panel making the choice as to where it would be hosted may have taken things like this into account, I fully expect multiple deaths which is not something I would ever dream of saying if it were to have been hosted somewhere else.

Probably a million footie fans with loot in their pockets arrive en masse. Asking for trouble I'd have thought

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I'm sure there have been occasions where an English club team coach has been "bricked" in the UK by "rival fans". White on white crime ?

Makes us look live savages with our bricks and stones while these guys use machine-guns.

IRONY !

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Slightly O/T, I fully expect multiple deaths which is not something I would ever dream of saying if it were to have been hosted somewhere else.

The US has a far higher murder rate than the UK but I don't see many people questioning their ability to host a decent World Cup or Olympics.

The way I see it is that most people going will have an amazing time. I know loads of people who've lived in or been on holiday to SA and they've all loved it and had no problems. 99% of fans will have a brilliant trip, the other 1% might encounter an issue with crime, as they would in any other country, but which will be highlighted by the media here in a way they never would do if the same incident occurred in Brussels, or Rome, or Moscow.

Let's not forget that plenty of England "fans" have in the past disgraced many a tournament with their own brand of criminality, so maybe we should wait and see what happens in SA before rushing to judge.

 

[Spun Cuppa]

The US has a far higher murder rate than the UK but I don't see many people questioning their ability to host a decent World Cup or Olympics.

The way I see it is that most people going will have an amazing time. I know loads of people who've lived in or been on holiday to SA and they've all loved it and had no problems. 99% of fans will have a brilliant trip, the other 1% might encounter an issue with crime, as they would in any other country, but which will be highlighted by the media here in a way they never would do if the same incident occurred in Brussels, or Rome, or Moscow.

Let's not forget that plenty of England "fans" have in the past disgraced many a tournament with their own brand of criminality, so maybe we should wait and see what happens in SA before rushing to judge.

1% of a million is ten thousand. Perhaps 99.9% avoiding trouble would be a better figure

 

[The Wizard]

The US has a far higher murder rate than the UK but I don't see many people questioning their ability to host a decent World Cup or Olympics.

The way I see it is that most people going will have an amazing time. I know loads of people who've lived in or been on holiday to SA and they've all loved it and had no problems. 99% of fans will have a brilliant trip, the other 1% might encounter an issue with crime, as they would in any other country, but which will be highlighted by the media here in a way they never would do if the same incident occurred in Brussels, or Rome, or Moscow.

Let's not forget that plenty of England "fans" have in the past disgraced many a tournament with their own brand of criminality, so maybe we should wait and see what happens in SA before rushing to judge.

Of course we shall wait and see what happens, but it concerns me that things like this are happening in South Africa especially in the World cup year, and I'd imagine this sort of shooting is a lot more common in Africa than the US or UK for that matter, I accept many of your points but crime in South Africa is extremely common and extremists like those who carried out the shooting are very common, the crime rate is extremely high in South Africa, without looking at the figures I would imagine it is at least double both that of the US and the UK.

As for your point about England fans, I agree but, would also make the point that every country has their set of 'yobbo' fans and it will always be like that I would imagine.

 

[bn3gunner]

They missed Adebayor
:US:

 

[Comedy Steve]

crumbs

 

[Captain Pugwash]

So sad to hear stories like this, thoughts go out to the team and families

 

[Beach Hut]

This is very sad and also has far wider implications with an impending World Cup in Africa.

 

[pasty]

This is very sad and also has far wider implications with an impending World Cup in Africa.

I'm sure I've read somewhere that England is down as "first reserve host".

 

[Whitterz]

bad news rip coach driver

 

[perth seagull]

Shocking news, I wonder if the Togo team were specifically targeted or it was just bad luck.