The violent armed attack on the Togolese national team by Angolan bandits is a real blot on the 27th African Cup of Nations due to start in the Angolan capital of Luanda on Sunday. The hosts must accept responsibility for poor security. The attempt therefore by Souleymane Habuba, spokesman for the organizers, to shift blame on the Togolese for traveling by road instead of flying, is completely misplaced.

Even if according to Habuba, the CAF regulations required that teams fly rather than by traveling by road and the Togolese for whatever preferred the latter; their bus should have been well escorted knowing the volatile political situation in Angola.

As things stand now, a lot of shine has been taken out from this big continental showpiece and it is doubtful whether the badly shaken Togolese would be able to recover quickly from their shattered nerves to give Ghana any worthwhile opposition in their opening match on Monday. At the time of writing this piece, the Togolese were contemplating boycotting the tournament. You can’t blame them. Two of their star players, defender Serge Akapko and reserve goalie Kodjovi Obilade were badly injured. Indeed, Akapko had to undergo surgery. Nine other players who were slightly injured required hospital treatment with bandages on legs, hands and faces.

Key player Emmanuel Adebayor summed up the mood of the players when he said, “to be hit by bullets when you have come to play football is disgusting”. This and other comments by many keen observers may suggest that the competition must be cancelled. But I back Angolan Sports Minister Goncalves Muandumba, who insisted that the games must go on.

This reminds me of the 1972 Munich Olympics when Palestinian bandits stormed the Olympic Village and killed 11 Israeli athletes in the middle of the Games. There were strong agitations for the cancellation of the Games but the then International Olympic Committee (IOC) President American Avery Brundage stood firm and said the Games must continue. ”Sports must not succumb to terrorists”, he insisted and the Games went ahead albeit in a charged atmosphere with maximum security. I was nervous throughout my stay at the Games.

Since this episode, security has been tight at the Olympic Games and many other big international sports events. When Seoul hosted the 1988 Games, South Korea provided such tight security to an extent that both officials and competitors had special guards almost to a person called “personal protection”. I was at the Games and really amazed at the efficient manner they worked.

It is common knowledge that Southern Africa has long been a volatile political spot. And that may explain why since the inception of the African Cup of Nations in 1957, Angola is only the second country down south to host the competition. South Africa was the first in 1996 whilst countries like Ghana, Ethiopia, Tunisia and Egypt have hosted the tournament on several occasions.

The bandits who attacked the Togolese team are reported to have said that the operation is only the start of a series of action that will continue in all the territories of Cabinda. This is a timely warning. Whether by accident or design, Cabinda is where West African neighbours Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso and Cote D’Ivoire are based and at the risk of sounding selfish, since I am a Ghanaian. I would like to plead with the organizers to give special protection to my ECOWAS people.

I hope South Africa is monitoring events carefully in Angola since they will be hosting the whole world in June. Bandits must not be allowed to destroy the essence of sports and games.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.