Togo national football team

Togo

Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)	Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks)
Association	Fédération Togolaise de Football
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Head coach	Stephen Keshi
Captain	Jean-Paul Abalo
Most caps	Mohamed Kader (49)
Top scorer	Emmanuel Adebayor(16)
Home stadium	Stade de Kégué
FIFA code	TOG
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	66
Highest	46 (August 2006)
Lowest	123 (April 1994)
First international
Togo 1 - 1 Ghana (Togo; 13 October, 1956)
Biggest win
4 - 0, 7 times
Biggest defeat
Morocco 7 - 0 Togo (Morocco; 28 October, 1979) Tunisia 7 - 0 Togo (Tunis, Tunisia; 7 January, 2000)
World Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2006)
Best result	Round 1, 2006
African Nations Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1972)
Best result	Round 1, all

The national football team of Togo, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks), is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.

They made their first FIFA World Cup appearance in their history in 2006, having been coached throughout the qualifying campaign by Stephen Keshi; German coach Otto Pfister managed the team at the finals, despite having resigned three days before their first match over a players' bonuses dispute, only to be persuaded by the players to return. Although Togo have qualified for the World Cup, they have never advanced past the first stage of the African Nations Cup

African Nations Cup record

• 1957 to 1965 - Did not enter
• 1968 - Did not qualify
• 1970 - Did not qualify
• 1972 - Round 1
• 1974 - Withdrew
• 1976 to 1982 - Did not qualify
• 1984 - Round 1
• 1986 - Did not qualify
• 1988 - Did not qualify
• 1990 - Withdrew
• 1992 - Did not qualify
• 1994 - Withdrew during qualifying
• 1996 - Did not qualify
• 1998 - Round 1
• 2000 - Round 1
• 2002 - Round 1
• 2004 - Did not qualify
• 2006 - Round 1

World Cup record

• 1930 to 1970 - Did not enter
• 1974 to 2002 - Did not qualify
• 2006 - Round 1

World Cup 2006

• v South Korea in Frankfurt, loss, 2-1
• v Switzerland in Dortmund, loss, 2-0
• v France in Cologne, loss, 2-0

2006 World Cup Squad

Head coach: Otto Pfister

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club
1	1GK	Ouro-Nimini Tchagnirou	31 December 1977	9	Djoliba
2	2DF	Daré Nibombé	16 June 1980	17	RAEC Mons
3	2DF	Jean-Paul Abalo	26 June 1975	66	APOEL
4	4FW	Emmanuel Adebayor	26 February 1984	30	Arsenal
5	2DF	Massamasso Tchangai	8 August 1978	35	Benevento
6	3MF	Yao Aziawonou	30 November 1979	33	Young Boys
7	4FW	Moustapha Salifou	1 June 1983	35	Stade Brest
8	3MF	Kuami Agboh	28 December 1977	4	KSK Beveren
9	3MF	Thomas Dossevi	6 March 1979	10	Valenciennes FC
10	3MF	Mamam Cherif Touré	13 January 1983	40	FC Metz
11	4FW	Robert Malm	21 August 1973	1	Stade Brest
12	2DF	Éric Akoto	20 July 1980	32	Grazer AK
13	4FW	Richmond Forson	23 May 1980	9	J.A. Poire
14	4FW	Adekanmi Olufade	7 January 1980	24	Al Siliyah
15	3MF	Alaixys Romao	18 January 1984	12	CS Louhans Cuiseaux
16	1GK	Kossi Agassa	2 July 1978	50	Hércules CF
17	4FW	Kader Touré	8 April 1979	47	Guingamp
18	4FW	Yao Junior Senaya	19 April 1984	17	YF Juventus
19	2DF	Ludovic Assemoassa	18 September 1980	6	Ciudad de Murcia
20	3MF	Affo Erassa	19 February 1983	6	AS Moulins
21	2DF	Franck Atsou	1 August 1978	13	Al-Hilal
22	1GK	Kodjovi Obilale	8 October 1984	0	Etoile Filante
23	2DF	Assimiou Touré	1 January 1988	2	Bayer Leverkusen

Sierra Leone air disaster

On Sunday June 3, 2007 twenty members of a delegation of sports officials from Togo, including Togolese Sports Minister, Richard Attipoe were killed when the Russian-made Mi-8 helicopter operated by Paramount Airlines exploded and crashed late on Sunday at Sierra Leone Lungi International Airport, in Lungi 13 km (8 miles) north of Freetown.

The Togolese sports delegation had chartered the helicopter for the seven-minute flight from Freetown to return to the Lungi International Airport to catch their chartered flight back to togo, after watching their Togo team beat Sierra Leone 1-0 in a 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier in Freetown.

Sierra Leone airport Authority officials said the helicopter caught fire as it was coming in to land at the Lungi International Airport at about 2030 on Sunday.

However no players of the Togo national soccer team were among the victims. The Togo players and officials of the team had been waiting to take the next helicopter flight to Lungi airport.

Helicopters and ferries are the only way to reach the airport, which is located across the river from Freetown.

Paramount Airlines is one of two commercial companies that run helicopter services between Freetown and Lungi International airport, ferrying passengers in a 7-minute flight over the river to Freetown.

2006 World Cup Information

Togo lost their opening game of the World Cup, despite having taken the lead against South Korea through Mohamed Kader. In the second half, Jean-Paul Abalo was sent off after 55 minutes, and goals from Lee Chun-Soo and Ahn Jung-Hwan sealed a 2-1 defeat for Togo.

Togo's next opponents in Group G were Switzerland, with the match scheduled for the afternoon of June 19. However, the Togo squad and manager Pfitser threatened to refuse to fulfil the fixture and take strike action. The squad and manager had been quoted as requesting payments from the Fédération Togolaise de Football for participating in the tournament of around €155,000 (US$ 192,000) with added bonuses for victories or draws. FIFA personally negotiated with the squad and manager on June 17, persuading them to travel to Dortmund in time to fulfil the fixture[1]; goals from Alexander Frei and Tranquillo Barnetta resulted in a 2-0 defeat. FIFA subsequently imposed a CHF100,000 fine on the Togolese federation for "behaviour unworthy of a participant in the World Cup" [2]

Togo's final group game against France ended in 2-0 defeat. Togo left the tournament with no points gained.

External links

• Togo FA official site
• Picture of team. Name of one player missing.