Togo’s failure to qualify for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations has raised serious concerns about the future of head coach Nibombé Daré, leading to growing calls for his dismissal. This marks the fourth consecutive absence of the Togolese national team from the prestigious tournament, a result that has left both fans and football experts struggling to come to terms with the setback.
Togo’s disappointing performance during the qualification campaign, which saw them secure just one win, two draws, and three losses—accumulating only five points from six matches—has been widely criticised.
The underperformance has sparked frustration among the sporting public, many of whom had placed high hopes in Daré, a former Sparrowhawks player and a local figure with limited managerial experience at the top level.
In the wake of the team’s failure, a significant portion of the public has called for Daré’s resignation.
This issue has also become a topic of discussion within the executive committee of the Togolese Football Federation (FTF).
Michel Ametodji, a member of the committee, confirmed that a commission has been established to address the matter.
“Knowing that he (Nibombé Daré) does not have this experience, he surrounded himself with people who brought him something extra, unfortunately, we did not achieve the qualification objective.
Now what should we do? We think, we go to the hearing to know what should be done in the near future. What did not work? What worked? What should be done to improve, these are questions like that that we asked ourselves.
The hearing will not only be limited to Nibombé Daré. It is a staff so the hearing continues, the day we finish and produce a report, the public will know,” Ametodji explained.
The appointment of Nibombé Daré, despite his lack of international managerial experience, has also come under scrutiny.
The former president of AS Tambo, reflecting on the decision, said, “The departure of Paulo Duarte created a void that we had to fill quickly because the selection was in full competition.
All of us, whether it was the sporting public, everyone was in favor of trying a Togolese and we took the most qualified Togolese.
Certainly no Togolese had the experience of a flagship team but we took the most qualified.”
The report, which includes an evaluation of Daré’s tenure, has already been submitted to the Ministry of Sports and Leisure.
With the matter now in the hands of Minister Lidi Bessi-Kama, all eyes are on the final decision, as the future of both Daré and the Togolese national team hangs in the balance.
