Togo players settle pay dispute with football association

DORTMUND: Togo's World Cup squad said on Sunday they had settled their long-simmering pay dispute with the national football association.

Earlier in the day, the players had refused to leave their base in Wangen until the row over pay and bonuses was settled.

As a result, they missed their scheduled morning flight to Dortmund where the team were due to face Switzerland in their second Group G match on Monday.

"There was a some uncertainty this morning, but the money and the premiums for the team have now been agreed," midfielder Thomas Dossevi said after completing a re-arranged evening training session at the Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.

"We have not actually received the money yet but we were given an assurance by FIFA that it will be paid in the coming week. FIFA have guaranteed the payment."

Dossevi said the players had agreed to lower their initial demands of 155,000 Euros ($196,300) each to play and 30,000 Euros for each win, but would not reveal the new figures.

FIFA had earlier acknowledged that it intervened in the dispute after hearing that the Togo players were threatening to boycott Monday's game.

The sport's governing body did not confirm the claim that it had directly guaranteed payment to the players.

"As far as we understand the team did not want to play," a FIFA spokesman said.

"The FIFA delegate there told them it would be extremely serious. He told them to be reasonable and they were."

Togo's German coach Otto Pfister walked out on the team just before the tournament, saying the pay row made it impossible for him to do his job. He returned just in time for their first match, a 2-1 defeat to South Korea.

On Sunday, Pfister said he had no regrets about returning, and insisted he was only thinking about Monday's game.

"We will see after the match whether all this has had any effect on our preparations," Pfister said after the training session.

"There has been an agreement, but you will have to ask the players and the Togolese FA about the details. I am a football coach and I am not interested in all the intrigues flying around left and right."

No team that has qualified for a World Cup finals has withdrawn from a match in the 76-year history of the event.

Had Togo decided to do so, it would have faced a heavy fine and could have been banned from subsequent competitions.

Togo's final group match is against France on Friday in Cologne.