Football in Togo

Togo qualified for the first time to a FIFA World Cup in 2006, for the edition to be held in Germany; however, its participation was marred by incidents and headlines.

The culmination of that conflict led to the resignation of the national team coach, Otto Pfister, and the threat made by the players not to play their game against Switzerland on 16 June 2006.

Over the following months, the stalemate continued to mar Togolese football, and eventually resulted in the dismissal of strike pair and Kader Coubadja-Touré, and defender Daré Nibombé in March 2007, ostensibly for "indecent remarks concerning the FTF management.

[citation needed] On 12 April 2010, Emmanuel Adebayor, the most famous Togolese player, retired from duty with the Togo National team.

[citation needed] On 26 November 2011, former Togo goalkeeper Charles Balogou was among six people killed when a bus, carrying players and officials from the Etoile Filante delegation, plunged into a ravine 130 kilometers north of Lomé and caught fire.