The Togo national football team , nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks), is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football .
Currently ranked position 91 by FIFA, Togo national team is coached by one of longest serving coaches in Africa,Claude Le Roy.
The current team captain is Segre Akakpo.
Brief history
In year 2013, Togo reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in history.So far they have made seven apparances in the biggest African football showcase.
The Hawks withdrew from the 2010 finals on the eve of the competition, following a gun attack by Angolan separatists that killed two members of the delegation as the team entered Cabinda.Confederation of African Football (CAF) banned Togo federation for a period of fours years, a decision that was later overturned by FIFA.
Togo qualified for the next tournament in 2012 by winning a tight two-legged affair over Gabon. Togo came through 3-2 on aggregate and had to really resist a late rally from Gabon to book their spot in South Africa.
Afcon 2017 pairing
Togo are in a tough Group C where they will play alongside defending champions Ivory Coast, DR Congo and Morocco.
It will need a miracle for the Hawks rise up to the challenge and defend the nation’s flag gallantly in Gabon starting with their group games.
The first two teams in each group will advance to the knock out stage of the competitions before the last four emerges who will compete to determine which two makes it to the final for the chance to be crowned champions of African football 2017.
Key Player: Emmanuel Adebayor
Unattached former Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor is indisputably the star of the team.Having a succesful career in Europe, no one can dispute the talent of the imposing striker, whose role model is Nwankwo Kanu.
He retired from the national team in 2010 because of the supposed insensitivity of Caf to the plight of the Togolese team that was attacked by Angolan dissidents in Cabinda, Angola. He is continually at odds with the Togo Football Federation on their handling of the national team and has pulled out of the team on numerous occasions.
He has since rescinded that decision and returned from international exile to help his team qualify for the 2013 and 2017 Nations Cup.
Rising Star: Hakim Ouru-Sama
Talented 19-year-old Hakim Ouru-Sama plays for AS Togo-Port. Hakim is an attacking midfielder who has matured into a fine playmaker for the team.The young lad performance at the 2017 Afcon will be a key factor in how well the Togolese play.
Togo Afcon 2017 squad:
Goalkeepers: Kossi Agassa (Unattached), Baba Tchagouni (FC Marmande, France), Cédric Mensah (Le Mans, France)
Defenders: Serge Akakpo (Trabzonspor, Turkey), Sadate Ouro-Akoriko (Al Khaleej, Saudi Arabia), Djene Dakonam (Sint-Truidense, Belgium), Gafar Mamah (Dacia, Moldova), Maklibè Kouloun (Dyto), Hakim Ouro-Sama (AS Togo-Port), Vincent Bossou (Young Africans, Tanzania)
Midfielders: Alaixys Romao (Olympiacos, Greece), Matthieu Dossevi (Standard Liège, Belgium), Floyd Ayité (Fulham, England), Henritsè Eninful (Doxa Katokopias, Cyprus), Lalawele Atakora (Helsingborgs, Sweden), Prince Segbefia (Goztepe, Turkey), Ihlas Bebou (Fortuna Dusseldorf, Germany), Franco Atchou (Dyto), Serge Gakpe (Genoa, Italy)
Forwards: Emmanuel Adebayor (unattached), Fo Doh Laba (Berkane, Morocco), Komlan Agbeniadan (WAFA, Ghana), Razak Boukari (Chateauroux, France)
