Togo's Adebayor wants out of African Cup after coach row

الأحد، 22 يناير 2006 - 15:08

كتب : وكالات

أديبايور

Military Academy Stadium-Ahmad Saied and Ahmed Maher: Togo star Emmanuel Adebayor threatened to leave Egypt after a row with head coach Stephen Keshi following the 2-0 defeat to DR Congo in their African Cup of Nations Group B match on Saturday.

The fight erupted when Adebayor told reporters after the game that he is almost done with Togo campaign and he plans to return to home.

"I am going home, I want to see my mother in Lome who is ill," Adebayor told reporters.

The new Arsenal signing said he won't play for Togo as long as Keshi was in charge, after Adebayor to appoint the coach as his agent.

Adebayor’s comments agitated Keshi who had to be restrained from confronting the player on the team bus after the game.

Adebayor, the top African goal-scorer in last year's World Cup qualifiers, was set to start Saturday’s game against Congo but Togo made a final minute change claiming the player had a "digestive problem".

The former Monaco striker then came on in the 59th minute.

Keshi denied the 21-year-old had been excluded due to a medical problem.

"This morning I decided not to play him. He wasn't happy. I then changed my mind and told him he was going to start but he said he wouldn't play.

"The problem was that he wasn't in training. I took a decision and he didn't like it and he decided to stay on the bench. He didn't want to start," the Nigerian coach said.

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