Will You Please Welcome....This Week's Idiots

Ah, what joy. Today, we can highlight a couple of instances of idiocy at a level that, frankly, beggars belief.

Firstly, CAF have chosen to ban Togo from the next two African Cup of Nations tournaments for, presumably, disrespecting the competition by having some of their players shot and staff killed. How dare Togo withdraw from a competition for such a trivial reason as coming under terrorist attack.

Secondly, John Terry, England captain. Really, I could just follow the tiresome tabloid moral high ground approach about morality, but I think sleeping with your friend and team-mate's girlfriend speaks for itself. The word 'scumbag' springs to mind.

Nevertheless, this isn't necessarily a reason to strip Terry of the England captaincy. However, the lack of respect from the rest of squad, the fact that the man can't be trusted, the sheer arrogance of the guy - these are reasons for Fabio Capello to find a new captain.

The Angola Shooting Means Nothing For The World Cup

In the aftermath of yesterday's events in Angola, some journalists have, typically, raised question marks over the security surrounding this year's World Cup Final in South Africa.

Let me just say this is the kind of tabloid nonsense that we just don't need at the moment. Angola is not South Africa. Cabinda, where the shootings took place, is disputed territory and, because it is oil rich, there are constant battles between Angolan government forces and rebels who want independence.

There simply no comparison between this and the potential security issues in South Africa. It's like comparing Baghdad with Budapest, which, by no coincidence whatsoever is about the same distance as Cabinda is from Johannesburg.

So less of ill-researched, unnecessarily sensationalist rubbish like this, thanks.

Togo Players Shot In Angola

Usually, I try to keep this blog pretty lighthearted, but occasionally serious stuff gets in the way.

So, the news that gunmen fired on the bus carrying Togo footballers , including Emmanuel Adebayor, is pretty shocking. Particularly as the driver was killed and some of the players were wounded.

Apparently, Togo were supposed to be flying to the Angola capital, Luanda and from there to Cabinda for their African Cup of Nations match.

Quite why they were being driven in a bus going through the disputed - and critically, oil rich - territory of Cabinda is unknown. But, needless to say, the players aren't really in a state to play football.