Togo ban lifted, face Zebras

MQONDISI DUBE
Staff Writer | Tuesday May 18, 2010 00:00

The Zebras, already in a formidable group that has Tunisia, Malawi and Chad, will now have an additional opponent in Togo who were thrown in Group 11.

Togo, whose leading player, Emmanuel Adebayor recently announced his retirement from international football, are a competitive side that reached the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.

The side was banned for four years from CAF sanctioned competitions after a government decision to recall the team from the AFCON 2010 Angola edition, following a deadly attack on the team bus.

The attack, later claimed by dissidents fighting for the control of the oil-rich Cabinda enclave, saw Togo leave the tournament without kicking a ball.

CAF ruled that it was government interference in football, contrary to the game's rules and regulations, and slapped Togo with a ban.

But the Togolese did not take the ban lying down, vowing to seek redress from the court of sports arbitration.However, FIFA president Sepp Blatter stepped in and averted a protracted battle. CAF announced on Sunday that the ban had been reversed.