TOGO - The Sparrow Hawks

The World Cup is just over a month away, and people are talking about the teams likely to be successful. Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy, Spain, France, England, Portugal and the Netherlands are the teams most experts are tipping to do well. However, the Finals are also about the so-called ‘also-rans’, teams for whom the mere appearance in the Finals is something of a fairy story. Togo, from Africa, is one such team.

Togo, at 59, is the lowest ranked side to have qualified for the 2006 Finals. This will be their first ever World Cup proper, and the whole country is excited, to say the least. When they started the long journey towards Germany, on October 11, 2003, they were ranked 89th. In their first match at Bata in Equatorial Guinea, they lost 0-1, and had to win the return leg at home in Lome 2-0 to qualify for the group stage. Emmanuel Adebayor and Moustapha Salifou scored the goals, either side of half time.

In the group stage they were placed in Group 1 of the African section, along with the 2002 World Cup quarter finalists Senegal, Zambia, Congo, Liberia and Mali. Few would have given Togo a chance to qualify from this strong group, more so when they lost their first group match to Zambia away. But under the astute management of Nigerian World Cup 1994 star, Stephen Keshi, Togo went from strength to strength in their remaining nine matches, winning seven and drawing the other two. They beat Congo and Mali twice each, and Senegal, Liberia and Zambia at home. They drew with Liberia and Senegal away to finish with 23 points in the group, 2 clear of Senegal. In their last match, in Brazaville, Congo, they needed a win to ensure qualification, and were trailing 1-2 at the hour until Coubadja’s brace took them through. In all, they scored 20 goals in their ten group matches, conceding only 8. Emmanuel Adebayor alone scored 10 goals to add to his one in the preliminary round.

Now in Germany, Togo has been drawn in Group G, with France, South Korea and Switzerland. Again, few would expect them to go through to the pre-quarter finals. Meanwhile, Keshi has been replaced by the experienced Otto Pfister of Germany as head coach. Pfister was appointed after the 2006 African Cup of nations in Egypt, some 100 days before the World Cup finals. Some would question the wisdom of dismissing a coach who took an unfancied team to the World Cup finals, but nobody would question Pfister’s credentials. With his in-depth knowledge and experience of African football, not to mention his vast success and his fondness for open, attacking football, he looks to be an interesting choice for the Togo job. At the age of 68, and with the chance to prove his worth in the country of his birth, this summer’s tournament may well prove to be the crowning moment of Pfister’s long and colourful career.

Nicknamed Sparrow Hawks, Togo’s main strength in Germany would perhaps be an element of surprise. Not much is known about their strategy and tactics under Pfister. Very few of their players are known to their prospective opponents. The key player for Togo in Germany is likely to be the young striker Emmanuel Adebayor who now plays for Arsenal in England. In defence, the experienced Jean-Paul Abalo of Apoel Nicosia, Cyprus, is the team leader, along with goalkeeper Kossi Agassa of Metz, France. In midfield another young player Junior Senaya of Juventus Zurich, Switzerland leads the way. There are also a few naturalised Brazilian players like Alaixis Romao to bring the Samba into the African rhythms. All in all, there is much to look forward to about Togo in the 2006 World Cup.