BY DON MCDERMOTT

Fast forward one month and this idea has taken a significant blow. On the 8^th January the football community was rocked by the news that the Togo national team’s bus was subjected to gunfire on their way to Cabinda in the host nation of Angola. Sadly, three of the men travelling on the bus were murdered; the driver, the team’s assistant manager Abalo Amelete, and their media officer Stanislas Ocloo. What makes this all the more tragic is that this is the second major casualty to befall the Togo national team in three years. This follows the death of their Sports Minister Richard Attipoe in the 2007 Paramount Airlines helicopter crash, as he was on his way back from an African Nations Cup qualifier in Sierra Leone. This attack by the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda has led many figures in world football to question just how safe players and fans will be in South Africa during the World Cup finals?

What these people and many other worried observers need to remember is that Africa is a continent, not a country. The finals will be held thousands of miles away from Angola in South Africa, thus making such fears somewhat unfounded. People must remember that in the summer of 2009 the FIFA Confederations Cup was held in South Africa as a tester as to how they would host competition. The results on the whole were very positive with no such horrors as that which took place in Angola.

The next factor to consider is the organizational bodies behind the two events. The African Nations Cup is run by the Confederation of African Football. The blame must rest with them for scheduling the competition in a country where security was likely to be an issue, particularly when choosing Cabinda as a host venue in the first place. Responsibility also falls on the heads of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, who harmed their own cause by earning the condemnation of the entire world for their unprovoked and callous attack. But the fact remains; FIFA has a lot more money and power at its disposal that the CAF, and are sure to take every precaution necessary to make sure the World Cup goes ahead without a hitch. The world’s best players will be on display, and the potential for revenue is far greater than anything the African Nations Cup could dream off.

On the 10^th June 2010, the eyes of the world will be on Soccer City in Johannesburg for the first World Cup on African soil, and I for one cannot wait for what is sure to be a great festival of football.

BY DON MCDERMOTT

It is sad that I can no longer blame the likes of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres should they actively seek a move away this summer. I don’t think any supporter would blame them; it must be disheartening having the responsibility of carrying an entire team on their shoulders. A footballer’s career is a short one; at the end you hope to look back at the medals you have won, but this does not seem to be something Liverpool can offer them any more. They would grace any team in the world, so why should they stay at a club that never delivers? It doesn’t help that for many of the occasions when Liverpool has failed to deliver; the manager has laid the blame with the squad door rather than take some kind of responsibility. It is pathetic when Benitez continues to blame injuries for disappointing performances. A manager’s job is to protect his players, not throw them to the wolves to save his own hide.

Rafa’s post match press conferences are a great source of embarrassment for the club. Every week it seems as if the officials are at fault for missing a penalty decision or getting something wrong for his team failing to win. When not complaining about referees, it’s not having enough money transfer funds. In his years at Liverpool, Rafa has spent over £250 million on players, including youth players. Only three have lived up to any of their hype; Fernando Torres, Pepe Reina, Xavi Alonso and Yossi Benayoun. The problem is that he rarely puts his faith in Benayoun, and forced out Alonso in a failed attempt to sign then Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry. Very few football fans would rather have Barry than Xavi Alonso. Let us take a look at the man who eventually replaced Alonso; Alberto Aquilani. Here is a player who was injured for the first few months of the season, yet is still worth £25 million. If he is apparently fit, where is he? On the bench. £25 million blown on a player for the bench. A footballer, who, when he has played has looked too light for the Premiership. He can’t even get into the team ahead of Lucas, who is simply not good enough to play for Liverpool. Kop fans can no longer be surprised by a manager who sells Robbie Keane half way through the season last year, leaving his squad with only one world class striker, and then failing to address the issue, thus applying more pressure on Torres.

With my final words I would implore Mr Benitez to admit to Liverpool fans that he has taken the club as far as he can. Rafa must voluntarily step aside to save the club from crippling itself financially by having to pay him off, even if this means waiting until the season’s end for a class act like Hiddink, Mourinho or Guardiola. No longer can Benitez hide behind excuses without being held to account.

BY DON MCDERMOTT

The capital, along with so much of the island, was destroyed. Many of the country’s most famous landmarks were severely damaged or wiped out as a result, with the Presidential Palace and National Assembly being two such examples that succumbed to the brute force of the earthquake. This prompted Elizabeth Myers of the UN to describe the event as the biggest disaster the UN has had to deal with. Initial estimates of a death toll of between 45,000 to 50,000 have been revised to 200,000 and a further 3 million are suspected to have been affected in some way by this unbelievable tragedy. Many of the dead are high profile members of the Haiti government and other important figures. The scenes of children crying in the street brings home the scale of horror and pain the earthquake has caused. It is unbearable to watch the pain etched in locals faces as they try to come to terms with the sudden and senseless loss of loved ones and homes. But as heartbreaking as it is to see such needless and unwarranted destruction, it is important that the world does not turn their backs on the people of Haiti when they need them the most. We have seen before how much good can be accomplished when we work together to help those affected by natural disasters, in the case of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami for example. We need to come together once again to stand behind Haiti in a show of solidarity and to let them know the world will not forget. The fact is that although the initial impact of the earthquake has struck, the consequences of such will be felt for some time to come. Haiti, being that it is one of the poorest countries in the world, will be more prone to some of the knock on events of such a catastrophic event. With bodies lying in the street, the threat of disease and hunger is now at its highest level in the country, making it all the more important that clean water is made available, along with the proper medical aid. Fear and desperation can also cause huge problems as people resort to violence and crime to try to save themselves and their families. Other stories coming out of Haiti tell of how in the days after the earthquake first hit, women were walking the streets singing and clapping as a sign of togetherness while others attended church services held outside destroyed churches. When you hear stories like this, it is easy to see how Haiti devised its national motto, ‘L’Union Fair La Force’, which translates as ‘Strength through Unity’. Now it up to us, the rest of the world, and our leaders, to unite behind the cause as well.