Togo's players could boycott Monday's World Cup Group G match with Switzerland if money they have been promised has not been transferred into their bank accounts, according to defender Jean-Paul Abalo.

Togo only traveled to Dortmund from their base in Wangen in southern Germany after being assured they would be paid money owed for qualifying for the country's first ever World Cup. Abalo said that if the money had not appeared in their bank accounts tomorrow then the team would discuss whether to go ahead with the fixture. 'We will decide tomorrow,' Abalo said after training at the Westfalenstadion. 'We want to see the money in our accounts - it's the group that decides. 'This will be the decision of the whole squad - not just one player.'

Abalo claimed that the dispute was not about bonuses for performances in Germany but the bonus they were promised for qualifying. 'Just the bonuses for qualifying,' he said. 'We have not seen any money yet. 'We reached an agreement in principle with the (Togo) Football Federation this morning. Now we must wait and see.'

Hmm ... sticky issue. Granted when love, religion, ethics and in this case national pride is involved, money becomes a rather autocratic component when brought into any discussion. So should the Togo players in fact wear their country's hearts on their sleeves, seeing as they have done almost the impossible by qualifying for the World Cup? It's a little like Malaysia qualifying for the World Cup. Then again, maybe not.

Or is it a matter of ethics? That it is not the money but in fact the principle behind it? After all, God forbid that the 23 Togo players played their guts out because of the bonus money because if that were so, Malaysia would've qualified a long time ago.

Hmmm ... then again.

It is perhaps a little ugly to be bringing up money at such a massive and sentimentally powerful event like the World Cup. But for a country ravaged by political and civil unrest, economical downturns and a 50% depreciation of their currency, I refuse to condemn the Togo World Cup squad for their decision to voice this now.

After all, why not demand now when the country is still in contention at the World Cup? They may never see the bonuses should they lose to Switzerland today.

Just another inkling that there are more important issues than the World Cup at this point of time. Though you would never know that if you surfed your local TV channels.

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