Dortmund: FIFA ensured Togo's team would not become the first to boycott a World Cup match on Sunday in the latest twist in the African nation's pay dispute with its players.
FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said soccer's world governing body was forced to act after reports the players did not want to board a plane from their training base in southern Germany to the central city of Dortmund ahead of Monday's Group G match against Switzerland.
"There were rumors that they did not want to travel and play tomorrow," Herren said. "This prompted us to open all contact channels to them to appeal to them to think of their responsibility to football and themselves and their country.
"It was a bit of a to and fro in the morning."
He said "various levels" of FIFA delegates were involved in the negotiations, advising the players, "if you don't travel, it could be the worst thing you could do."
Herren said if Togo had boycotted the match, it would have been disqualified from the World Cup and faced further sanctions from FIFA's disciplinary committee.
"As long as they travel, which I believe they have done, I think it's OK," Herren said.
No team has ever boycotted a World Cup match since the tournament began in 1930.
The players, most contracted to small European clubs, wanted $200,000 each to play in the tournament, plus $39,000 each per win and $20,000 per draw. That is a fortune in a coffee-and-yam-growing country where the average income is less than $400 per year.
The reason for the threatened boycott was not immediately clear. At a news conference on Saturday, players said although the bonus dispute had not been settled, they wanted to concentrate on the Swiss match.
Players and coach Otto Pfister alike insisted that morale was high and the team was determined to upset the Swiss.
Togo was beaten 2-1 by South Korea in its opening match last week. The Togolese are playing for World Cup survival against Switzerland.
The lowest-ranked team in the tournament, Togo has caused some of the biggest headlines because of the off-field dramas.
Coach Pfister quit the team three days before the first match against South Korea, saying he could not work properly if players kept boycotting training. Pfister only rejoined his team hours before the opening match.
Pfister is now considering legal action against a senior Togolese federation official who accused him of being a drunkard and a traitor. The 68-year-old German says he doesn't touch alcohol.
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