Poor Footballing Decision of the Week

Togo's reserve keeper Kodjovi Obilale (pictured) still lies in a bed in Johannesburg with bullet lodged near his spine. He has been in intensive care since the shooting incident on the Togonese coach on the 8 January in the Cabinda province of Northern Angola. Three families the coach drivers, one of the teams assistant coaches and their press relations officer are not so lucky their men never made it alive.

Yet 24 hours before the final of the Africa Nations Cup the Confederation of African Football (Caf) announced that Toga were suspended from the next two stagings of the Africa Nations Cup and fined an punitive US $50,000 . Caf will be claiming that they are upholding Article 78 of the Nation Cup Regulations which specifies such a punishment for teams withdrawing shortly before the competition. However, Article 80 state they will tolerate withdrawals 'in cases of force majeure accepted by Caf'.

A force majeure allows for an extraordinary event or circumstance, surely the death by terrorists of two team officials in the view of the entire team and support staff, the injury to one of the playing members as a result should surely qualify Togo for a force majeure dispensation. It is not after all as if the team took the decision because of a threat that never happened they took the action because of an actual event that had an effect on their team.

Togo are going to be appealing this decision and like many in the footballing community I hope that common sense prevails and that their appeal is upheld. As a Liverpool fan I know that there are occasions that football is not more important than death. After Hillsborough the Liverpool team didn't play a game within the time scale that this evening's final would have allowed. The Liverpool were not out on the pitch for a full hour while the Lepping Road end fans fought for their lives, whereas the Togo players were pinned down in their coach facing their own possible deaths.

If they don't get to take part in the next two Africa Nations Cup Cardiff Blogger has a cunning plan to show up this ludicrous decision from Caf. He says let UEFA allow them into the 2012 European Championships, after all a lot of their key players are European based.

Personally I hope we see Togo qualify for the 2012 Africa Nations Cup to honour those that have died in their presence, but just in case....

BTW The final of the Africa Nations Cup finished Egypt 1 Ghana 0, and Egypt aren't one of the six African teams that will be in South Africa this summer for the World Cup.

Togo Government Withdraws From Africa Cup of Nations - Team Play on Updated

The armed attack on the Togo team coach yesterday, in which the driver, a press officer and assistant coach were killed and 2 players injured has led to their withdrawal from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Both the Angolan government and tournament officials spent the day persuading the players to stay for their group matches. But clearly the half hour under fire on their way the players are not prepared to play as their first choice keeper said:

"None of the team is ready to play, we're all devastated, everyone wants to go and see their family.

"We came here to take part in a festival of African football, but it's as if we've gone to war."

Team captain Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor said:

"It's a football game, it's one of the biggest tournaments in Africa and a lot of people would love to be in our position but I don't think anybody would be prepared to give their life.

"If I am alive I can still play football tomorrow and in one year maybe even another Cup of Nations but I am not ready to pass away now."

The Angolan Prime Minister had met with tournament officials and he office issued a statement which said:

"The prime minister considers the incident in Cabinda as an isolated act and repeated that the security of Togo's team and the other squads is guaranteed."

However, the problem is that although the civil war in Angola ended eight years ago the northern area of Cabinda still has an active guerrilla group. The oil rich region is where the Group B games featuring Togo Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkino Faso where to take place. The group Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda have taken responsibility for the attack, so the players comments that they have gone to war is sadly close to the truth.

FIFA are obviously concerned about the incident with happened 15 minutes after the Togolese coach entered Angola from Congo. They have issued the following statement:

"Fifa and its president, Sepp Blatter, are deeply moved by today's incidents which affected Togo's national team, to whom they express their utmost sympathy," said a statement.

"Fifa is in touch with the African Football Confederation (CAF) and its president, Issa Hayatou, from which it expects a full report on the situation."

However, despite the Togolese manager calling for the entire tournament being called off it looks like it will be carrying on as scheduled tomorrow.

Meanwhile World Cup boss Danny Jordann is allaying fears that the June show piece in South Africa will also be affected. He says:

"It's nothing to do with it and I think everybody understands it has nothing to do with South Africa," he said.

"When there was a bomb in London no-one said we should not have 2012 in London so we cannot have double standards."

He is quite right of course the domestic incidents on one country of the World have nothing to do with another most of the time. An association by proximity is totally wrong.

UPDATED Whilst the Togolese government had withdrawn the team, the team themselves have decided that they want to stay in Angola to honour the three members of their party who died. Nantes striker Thomas Dossevi said:

"We are all heartbroken, it is no longer a party, but we want to show our national colours, our values and that we are men.

"It was a decision taken nearly unanimously by the team which met during the night after having been reassured by the Angolan authorities."

Adding to this comment Grenoble midfielder Alaixys Romao added:

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

Originally posted 9 January at 19:51

Time for the Rich to Heed Africa

The African countries have walked out of the Copenhagen talks because of the lack of movement from the industrialised countries to take responsible action now, beyond the Kyoto measures. The formal talks are currently therefore in suspension.

The African nations are amongst those that are liable to feel the first major effects of any catastrophic climatic change. That is if they are already not suffering from this. Around 200 activists in the hall started to shout "We Stand for Africa - Kyoto Targets now" when news of the African unrest that the Danes hosting the summit were about t0 sideline an extension of emission cuts under Kyoto.

The EU and other developed countries were discussing a new agreement out of Copenhagen, but the African countries were fearful that the gains made under Kyoto in 1997 would be swept aside as a result. The US commitment to 3% under its 1990 level while a big move from where they currently are is one of the prime examples of a behind Kyoto agreed levels. As this has come from one of the biggest producers of CO2 the need for change here is at its most critical. In the eyes of Africa the rich and greedy nations of the world are not doing enough to help alleviate their painful future.

Africa is speaking up because their survival is most at risk by the dolittle's of the industrialised nations. They know the need of radical reform first hand, they are now crying out for it. They are no longer prepared to be walked over as a great price of what is at stake is known to them, it is not just a mild irritating increase in temperature to them, but a real danger that they will never be able to feed their own people as a result.

Pope's Prophylactic Fallibility

Well His Infallibleness Benny XVI's comments in Africa have come under much scrutiny, not least in the Vatican's own official website. While His Condomless was heard to say about AIDS in Africa:

"It is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms which even aggravates the problems."

The Vatican's website changed the word for the phrase "merely risks aggravating".

There is another subtle change and dispute in the Italian text of an interview given on the flight to Angola the colloquial term from condoms is preservati this was replaced by profilattici (which covers a wider range of measures) before being changed back. Clearly in light of the comments the Holy See felt that the use of a word from the stem to preserve life wasn't in keeping with the overall effect of the message that was clearly being portrayed.

It is all very well the church trying to teach abstinence and fidelity of those who take Holy Orders were above reproach. But the failure of Priests in sexual celibacy, even to the abuse of children shows how difficult even the Church of Rome finds it difficult to practise what it preaches.

Surely now is the time for the Pope as head of the Roman Catholic world to acknowledge the help that wearing a condom can do to the quality and hope of life in areas so heavily afflicted by AIDS. If every sperm is so precious that it should be used by procreation then sadly the teenage male population would have every available womb in the world starting to create a new life before breakfast.

Ben and Johnny 2

In his first full day in Africa as Pope, Benedict XVI continues in his stance against condoms (the Johnnies of the piece) as a way to stem the HIV/AIDS epidemic ravaging the continent. He said he'd come with a 'message of hope' but where is the hope for the 22 million across Africa who are already affected, or their wives and families.

The Catholic Church is adamant that education of abstinence and family life is the way to go. He claimed that chastity outside marriage and fidelity within it had proved to be "the only sure way of preventing the spread of HIV and Aids". The problem is that in Africa a lot of the spread of the disease has been within marriage where one of the partners (normally the male) has not held their marriage vows. There have been peaks at times of the increase of the infection amongst pregnant women. And some countries have a greater than 15% presence of the infection amongst it's adult population. It is not so much a case of need to save oneself as being uncertain even if you did that you'd be safe.

The fact that as the church would like to point out the spread in many countries has stabilised at around 20% is not because of a new found fidelity but because the rate of new infections and deaths is in a morbid state of equilibrium. The problem is also that 2 million of those infected in Africa have been infected since birth or from breast feeding from their infected mother. There is a generation that will be growing up with the disease.

Of course the Church will want to spread a moral message but is not giving people the chance to life a first and foremost an abomination, especially as there is a easy chance to help. Yeah sure supplying condoms isn't the whole answer as there is education needed that using one is a selfless act, but one that could help defend each participants health. But to outright deny them because to quote Python 'every sperm is precious' yet doing all they can to help those already with life is hypocrisy of the highest magnitude and one that the Church has yet to be brought to account over.

Ben and Johnny 1

Peter Brookes Cartoon in today's Times points out a serious story of the Roman Catholic Church's attitude to Africa and the frisson over how to handle the AIDS epidemic that is sweeping that continent. I hope to write more about that later in the meantime enjoy Mr Brookes' work.

In Which I Suggest Pope Benedict Has a Point

The headline story in the Daily Fail was Homosexuality is as great a threat as rainforest destruction, says Pope wow you've seen the horror all day. Iain Dale (dare I speak his name two evenings in a row) suggested that the Pope should just join the BNP and be done with it. Paul Walter took more considered look at just what he said in depth rather than trying to simply fill a headline.

However, I was talking (or rather typing this over this morning) and came to the conclusion that you know maybe old Papa Ben has a point. Not only that he has a solution. Now I beat all the hundreds of people who visited this humble blog in the last 24 hours didn't expect to hear me coming to that concolusion.

So lets look at it the Pope appears to have identified two major issues affecting mankind:

1. First is the contrariness to nature (defined by Benny boy as man and woman) of the LBGT community in various ways.
2. The deforestation of our planet.

As a liberal leaning environmentalist you would expect me concur with the second but am a little dubious of the first. But this Ulster born protestant says hang on a second this could just make sense. The Church of Rome and its Bishop have a point and a plan to deal with both.

First off remember the churches aversion to wrapping of mens' intimate parts for the purposes of not multiplying too much. Something that many apologists for the non-Catholic population of world say would help solve a lot of the overcrowding on this planet of finite resources. Well that is a conning masterstroke to the Uberplan of the Pope.

First he aims to impose a world-wide ban on their sale, use, or possession on forfeiture one's life and corporeal soul. Then reinstates the Spanish inquisition to ensure that this Papal edict is carried out, and not care too much if they get carried away with themselves again.

End result 8% based of current estimate of the promiscuous, filthy gayer part of the male population would be wipe out 48million people a moderately sized country. However, nothing compared to wiping out the entire continent of Africa. Then of course you'd hear the Church calling HIV AIDS God's gift rather his judgement as they'd have solved both problems in one fell swoop.

The above is of course entirely satirical and my tongue is firmly wedged in my cheek.

Almost a Year Since Gleneagles...

...how is Tony Blair Getting on.

Well Save the Children have unearthed this memo.

So still a lot to do on making healthcare free in Africa.

HIV treatment target of 2010 needs some work on if this is going to be acheived.

Although debt in the 28 poorest countries of the world has almost now be cancelled.

Tony cannot be losing his direction or purpose as some of his own people are saying. There is still work to be done on the promises he made us last year. If he really wants to make poverty history he should be doing more about it.