A deadly terrorist attack on Togo’s national football team, in Angola for the Africa Cup of Nations, has left Danny Jordaan as sick as a dog. “There’s no way this can have an impact on the 2010 World Cup,” the head of South Africa’s organising committee for the event, said. But his agitation belied his fears. Just when Mr Jordaan thought the doubters about South Africa’s suitability to host the globe’s greatest sporting tournament had been silenced, new questions are being raised.
The Togolese footballers were ambushed by a dozen heavily armed separatist guerrillas as they travelled by bus from Congo-Brazzaville, where they had been training, to the neighbouring oil-rich Angolan province of Cabinda two days before the tournament, hosted by Angola, kicked off on Sunday January 10th. Three people—the team’s assistant coach, their spokesman and their Angolan driver—were killed. Another nine members of Togo's party were wounded including Togo’s reserve goalkeeper. He was airlifted to a hospital in Johannesburg after being shot in the back. His condition is said to be stable.
The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) has claimed responsibility for the attack, threatening more if Angola and Confederation of African Football persisted in holding tournament matches in the disputed province. The group, which was “at war” with Angola, had warned the CAF not to hold any games in Cabinda, Rodrigues Mingas, the FLEC’s secretary-general said. But Angola had refused to listen. “Weapons will continue to talk,” he said, claiming the self-declared Federal State of Cabinda had 50,000 armed security forces. “This is our home, and it’s time Angola understood that.”
Although the South Africans claim it won't impact their staging of the tournament this summer, it remains to be seen how valid those claims are...
By: Brant
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