Togo’s soccer coach quit Saturday, throwing the West African team into turmoil days before its World Cup debut.
The cause of Otto Pfister’s decision was apparently a dispute over pay between the players and the national federation.
“That’s it for me – I’m not going back and I am giving up my work as national trainer. A lifelong dream has ended for me,” Pfister told the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel.
“I will definitely not be at the World Cup. I am not going to let myself be messed around with any more.”
Togo’s players aren’t asking for millions. The $200,000 they wanted for playing here would be a fortune in a coffee- and yam-growing West African country whose nearly 5.7 million inhabitants earn on average $380 per year.
Togo plays South Korea on Tuesday in its opening game.
Mexico keeper returns
Goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez rejoined Mexico’s national team in Nuremberg, Germany, on Saturday night after returning from his father’s funeral, pronouncing himself ready to start today against Iran.
“I feel good. I’m happy, because we’re going to win (today),” Sanchez said after the team’s workout.
Switching to Spanish and speaking through a translator for the rest of his comments, Sanchez said the final decision would be up to coach Ricardo La Volpe.
“If La Volpe allows it, I am ready,” he said.
La Volpe said he would talk with Sanchez this morning before making a final decision.
Sanchez flew to his family’s hometown of Guadalajara on Thursday, a day after his father, Felipe, died of a heart attack while preparing to travel to Germany for the World Cup.
English fans are just fine
The off-the-field calm of the World Cup’s opening day extended into Saturday, thanks to intensive security and a party mood after England’s first win.
English police believe they’ve corralled the main potential troublemakers by ordering more than 3,500 known soccer hooligans to fork over their passports. But with up to 65,000 English fans watching their team beat Paraguay 1-0, security was heavy.
Frankfurt police were ready wherever fans congregated. Some policemen wore helmets and bulletproof vests and toted video cameras. They had little to do as there were no reports of postgame scuffles or arrests.
