Shanked
U been Shanked
- Joined
- May 22, 2008
- Messages
- 11,568
- Reaction score
- 2,624
Terrorist attack on Togo side puts 2010 FIFA World Cup under the microscope
By Martin Smith
foxsports.com.au
January 09, 2010
The fatal attack on the Togo national team in Angola has increased concerns the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will be targeted by terrorists as violence continues to rage on the troubled continent.
Southern Africa Map
Southern Africa ... Cabinda is 2400km from Pretoria. Courtesy Google Maps
One man was killed and nine others, including two players, were injured when the bus carrying the Togo side en route to this month's African Cup of Nations was attacked by gunmen in the troubled Angolan province of Cabinda.
Fox Sports football expert Simon Hill said he was "absolutely shocked and stunned" by the attack and said FIFA are likely to act swiftly with the World Cup just six months away.
"I’m sure FIFA will be concerned," he said.
"I'm sure they will be involved in talks with the authorities in South Africa to say 'look, this has to be right - in six months time the world is coming to your doorstep.' I think the security procedures will be ramped up even further.
“"It is wonderfully disorganised, but that is the danger. It is chaotic at times."” –Simon Hill Describes the unpredictable nature of football in Africa.
"If there is a small sliver of hope out of all of this, (it) is the security, which I think was going to be stringent enough in South Africa, will be ramped up even to another level."
Hill says while the frenzied nature of football in Africa would make the World Cup a wonderful experience for fans, it could also be its downfall.
"It is wonderfully disorganised, but that is the danger," he said.
"It is chaotic at times and the thing that struck me about all of this is that the organisers of the tournament had no idea that the Togolese team were travelling over land.
"They presumed that they were going to be flying into Luanda, the Angolan capital and then travelling by road."
Despite tournament organisers saying the African Cup of Nations will still go ahead, Hill said the attacks should be a warning to the authorities.
"Questions now have got to be asked about whether the tournament itself should go ahead and certainly whether they should be playing games in this province of Cabinda."
The Togo side, including captain and Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor, have expressed their desire to withdraw from the tournament as the reality of the attack sinks in.
By Martin Smith
foxsports.com.au
January 09, 2010
The fatal attack on the Togo national team in Angola has increased concerns the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will be targeted by terrorists as violence continues to rage on the troubled continent.
Southern Africa Map
Southern Africa ... Cabinda is 2400km from Pretoria. Courtesy Google Maps
One man was killed and nine others, including two players, were injured when the bus carrying the Togo side en route to this month's African Cup of Nations was attacked by gunmen in the troubled Angolan province of Cabinda.
Fox Sports football expert Simon Hill said he was "absolutely shocked and stunned" by the attack and said FIFA are likely to act swiftly with the World Cup just six months away.
"I’m sure FIFA will be concerned," he said.
"I'm sure they will be involved in talks with the authorities in South Africa to say 'look, this has to be right - in six months time the world is coming to your doorstep.' I think the security procedures will be ramped up even further.
“"It is wonderfully disorganised, but that is the danger. It is chaotic at times."” –Simon Hill Describes the unpredictable nature of football in Africa.
"If there is a small sliver of hope out of all of this, (it) is the security, which I think was going to be stringent enough in South Africa, will be ramped up even to another level."
Hill says while the frenzied nature of football in Africa would make the World Cup a wonderful experience for fans, it could also be its downfall.
"It is wonderfully disorganised, but that is the danger," he said.
"It is chaotic at times and the thing that struck me about all of this is that the organisers of the tournament had no idea that the Togolese team were travelling over land.
"They presumed that they were going to be flying into Luanda, the Angolan capital and then travelling by road."
Despite tournament organisers saying the African Cup of Nations will still go ahead, Hill said the attacks should be a warning to the authorities.
"Questions now have got to be asked about whether the tournament itself should go ahead and certainly whether they should be playing games in this province of Cabinda."
The Togo side, including captain and Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor, have expressed their desire to withdraw from the tournament as the reality of the attack sinks in.
