Bahrain 3 - 0 'Fake' Togo

[Gazz]

Fifa, the governing body of world football, is investigating allegations that a fake Togo team played a match against Bahrain earlier this month.

Bahrain won the friendly match 3-0, but said they were surprised by the poor quality of the Togolese team.

Togo later said it had never sent its national team to play in the game, staged at the national stadium in Riffa on 7 September.

Both countries and Fifa said they were investigating the match.

It took place as Bahrain prepares to play in the West Asian Football Championships, which begin on 24 September.

The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) said it had been arranged under all the usual official procedures, and through an agent they had known for several years.

"Everything seemed to be in order until after the game, when we began to hear that some people are wondering about these players and this Togo team. We ourselves were surprised when we heard this," a BFA spokesman told the Gulf Daily News.

He said they had received all the official documentation for the match, including the players' passports.

The spokesman rejected reports that the match was organised by a fake football agent, saying the agent in question had always been "100% alright" and was now co-operating with the investigations.

Togo's sport minister, Christophe Tchao, told the Jeune Afrique magazine nobody in Togo had "ever been informed of such a game".

"We will conduct investigations to uncover all those involved in this case," he said.

Bahrain's head coach, Josef Hickersberger, told the Gulf Daily News the match had been a wasted opportunity for the team to practise before the West Asian championships.

"They were not fit enough to play 90 minutes - the match was very boring," he said.

"Basically it was not good for us because we wanted to get information about the strength of our team, especially playing with many of our professionals."

bbc.co.uk

What the fuck?

[Lineker]

They only beat Fogo by three goals then?

lol, Bahrain are shit.

[gunnar hendershow]

They figured something was up when all the players were white.

[Baddar]

...and didn't have any bullet holes in them.

ooooo. >_>

[Lineker]

A former coach of Togo's national football team has been suspended for three years after hosting a fake match in Bahrain earlier this month.

Togo's football federation said Tchanile Bana organised a friendly game in Riffa, which was played without the sports body being informed.

A group of players pretending to be the national team lost the match 3-0.

Mr Bana had already been suspended for two years for hosting a fake match against Egypt in July.

"The organisation, the preparation and supervision of the match were planned by [assistant coach] Tchanile Bana" without approval, the football federation said in a statement.

Antoine Folly, a member of the disciplinary commission, said that others responsible for the scam must also face action.

"Full light must be thrown on the Bahrain affair in order to unmask and impose sanctions on his accomplices operating within the Togo Football Federation," he said.

Togo's football authorities began investigating after reports of a game against Bahrain, staged at the national stadium in Riffa on 7 September.

The country's sports minister said no-one in Togo had been informed of the game.

Bahrain Football Association (BFA) said it had arranged the match through all the usual procedures, through an agent that they had known for several years.

Bahrain's head coach, Josef Hickersberger, told the Gulf Daily News that the match had been a wasted opportunity for the team to practise before the West Asian championships, which begin on 24 September.

"They were not fit enough to play 90 minutes - the match was very boring," he said.

"Basically it was not good for us because we wanted to get information about the strength of our team, especially playing with many of our professionals."

Mr Bana, who was Togo's head coach in 2000 and 2004, received a two-year ban last month for taking a team to Egypt in July without permission.

[Hobo]

I wonder did they have fake names like on old Pro Evo games.

E. Manuel Addibuyore!

[Gazz]

PES United!

[Lineker]

Former Togo coach Tchanile Bana has apologised for taking a fake national team to Bahrain earlier this month.

The team of imposters masquerading as Togolese internationals played a friendly against the Gulf kingdom on 7 September and lost 3-0.

Bana has been banned from all football activities for three years.

"I present my sincere apologies to the president of the republic, all the Togolese people and the president of the Bahrain FA," he said.

"I'm aware of the mistakes I've made. I've received a three-year ban. I'm obliged to accept it in a gesture of sportsmanship."

Bana added that his motives were driven by the frustration of a group of young players who were finding it impossible to break into any of the national set-ups.

"I wanted to help youngsters in Togo who chose to play football, but who have problems making it because of a lack of competition at a national level," he said.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Bwahaha, that's hilarious. Fogo should be allowed in the Unofficial World Cup, or whatever it's called.