阿巴洛表示週一球員的“罷飛”事件並非臨時的舉動，而是早有計劃，他們早就決定，如果足協不重視他們的要求，他們就會用這種拒絕登機的方式作為抗議，讓足協看到事情的嚴重性。多哥原定在GMT13：30的訓練也因為他們的推遲飛行而被取消，最終他們于GMT18:00到達體育場，現場只有可數的幾名世界盃志願者鼓掌對他們表示歡迎。

　　鏈結：http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=afp-fblwc2006gpgtog&prov=afp&type=lgns

　　原文：Updated on Sunday, Jun 18, 2006 4:17 pm EDT

　　Strike threat still hangs over Togo's World Cup game

　　by Nick Reeves

　　June 18, 2006

　　DORTMUND (AFP) - Togo dramatically raised the stakes in their row over unpaid bonuses by insisting that despite a FIFA warning of heavy punishment they may still boycott Tuesday's game against Switzerland.

　　The World Cup first-timers had agreed to abandon plans not to play the Group G fixture earlier after direct intervention by FIFA and receiving assurances from the Togo Football Federation that they would be paid a portion of the money they're demanding.

　　But after training at Dortmund stadium the Togo captain Jean-Paul Abalo warned: "We came to an agreement with the Federation this morning.

　　"We haven't received any money yet but if it isn't in our accounts tomorrow (Monday) morning then we've decided as a group not to play."

　　A first ever strike in the history of the World Cup would be a huge embarrassment for FIFA who were instrumental in getting the players' to back down after they refused to leave their headquarters for Dortmund.

　　But a FIFA representative refused to divulge whether world football's governing body had helped financially to bring the dispute to an end.

　　"We have a finance department which would deal with that question," Eddy Hamel told a press conference after Togo's delayed eve-of-match training.

　　Abalo said Monday's action was not a spur of the moment decision.

　　The 30-year-old skipper said: "We had all decided a long time ago that if everything wasn't sorted out we wouldn't board the plane (to Dortmund).

　　"But the federation didn't take it seriously but they saw this morning that we were serious."

　　Togo's German coach Otto Pfister resigned days before the opening game over the dispute only to return the day before the 2-1 defeat to South Korea after being assured the matter would be resolved.

　　The 68-year-old German was clearly annoyed that the damaging affair was still rumbling on.

　　"No comment" was his terse reply when asked what had taken place between the players, the Federation, and FIFA.

　　"You'll have to ask the Federation, I'm just here to look after the team."

　　Togo received a stark warning that FIFA would come down hard on a no-show.

　　"We have appealed for reason," FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren told AFP.

　　"We have let them know that a refusal to play will expose them to very serious sanctions and that they have a responsibility to the Togolese people."

　　Under FIFA rules, a team that does not fulfill a fixture is immediately disqualified from the tournament, although Herren refused to specify what punishment would be meted out.

　　Togolese preparations for their first ever World Cup have been bedevilled by a wrangle over bonuses with the players claiming they had been duped by their team officials, who refused their demand for 150,000 dollars but apparently agreed to a figure of 120,000.

　　The players brought it to a head when refusing to board the bus to take them from their headquarters at Wangen Im Allgau to catch a flight to Dortmund.

　　After missing their scheduled plane their original eve of match training session at 1330GMT was cancelled.

　　They eventually arrived at the stadium at 1800GMT to applause from a handful of World Cup volunteers.

　　Despite all the off-pitch distractions the players who still have an outside chance of making it to the last 16 appeared in good spirits, singing as they warmed up.

　　This has been a stormy first World Cup for Togo for apart from this saga Pfister announced last week he was sueing the secretary general of the Togo football federation for calling him an alcoholic.

　　作者-佟杉杉

責編：佟杉杉