Togo

By Haru Mutasa in Africa on January 28th, 2010
Photo by Getty Images

Tendai Mtawarira is the BEAST.

His unfortunate nickname is because of the aggressive way he plays rugby – not his looks.

He’s 24 years old, Zimbabwean and a fantastic rugby player (in my opinion).

His crime seems to be playing for the South African Springboks. Some politicians have serious problems with that.

In fact they want him dropped from the Springboks because he is a “kwerekwere” – a foreigner.

Some like Butana Komphela, chairman of the South African national assembly sports committee, want him thrown out of South Africa and deported to Zimbabwe.

Is this fair?

Emmanuel Adebayor is from Togo, plays for Manchester City in the United Kingdom BUT he does not play for England national team.

Michael Essien is Ghanaian, plays for Chelsea in the United Kingdom and he does not play for the English national side.

So why should Beast be treated differently?

By Paul Rhys in Africa on January 9th, 2010

"Balls not bullets" was the call from Angola's head coach on a day when the future of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations veered from murky to uncertain, and back again.

Manuel Jose's meaning may be slightly skewed by the journalist's addiction to alliteration - the word he actually used  was "footballs" - but the organisers of this tournament have some brave decisions to make if anything is to be salvaged in sporting terms from Friday's human tragedy.

At least three of Togo's travelling party are reported to have been killed and others wounded in a machine gun attack on their bus in the northern enclave of Cabinda.

When Al Jazeera's team in Luanda arrived at the Angola squad's hotel on Saturday morning, word coming out of the north was that the Togo team would be staying in the contest, despite the trauma and injury to their players.

Angola coach Jose was unequivocal about the way forward.

Al Jazeera Live

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