A mixed-feeling UPDATE from this story regarding the Togolese keeper, Kodjovi Obilale, who was shot this past January. Obilale was one of the many injured by an Angolan rebel attack on the Togolese national team bus while traveling to the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
FIFA just announced that it will donate $100,000 to Obilale who has been left with “six-figure hospital bills”. In light of the sum owed to medical establishments, Obilale will doubtfully cover his bills with FIFA’s gift, but the gesture and commitment is certainly much more substantial than the $25k originally promised by Sepp. This new sum is in addition to the $17k from the Sports Minister of Togo which was received shortly after the attack.
$100,000 sounds like a lot of money, but for a man that can’t walk (or work in his original profession) it seems FIFA could have analyzed the big picture a little better (not to mention gotten much-needed positive PR in the process).
Yes, they stepped in to help with monetary compensation for his bills, but they failed to capitalize on the opportunity and steer him in the direction of an open position (or one that could be open soon, closer to Togo) that would suit his professional understanding of the sport, accommodate his physical handicap, AND provide FIFA with an upstanding ally on the continent.
Obviously, they need more females for this sort of thing at FIFA HQ.
I’m appalled by this. How is there not a workers comp style fund/umbrella insurance policies in place for the benefit of all players in FIFA-sanctioned tourneys? How there is not full coverage for this man’s medical bills completely escapes me. (Aside from the massive pile of corruption that is FIFA, of course.)
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If I play in pick-up game against Sepp, I’m going to Huddlestone him. You know what? That’s not enough. This calls for the Department of Two Guys Named Vito.
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“Vitoes, I would not be upset if something unfortunate were to happen to Fat Sepp.”
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Wag, I’ll keep you posted on the Vitoes’ progress.
Paging Nigel de Jong and Karl Henry, De Jong and Henry to the red courtesy phone.
@ Wedel: I think that’s where the gap is though for coverage. ACON is sanctioned by the CAF and not FIFA. Now, winners of the tournament quallify for a FIFA sanctioned event, but FIFA doesn’t sanction ACON. If this had happened on the way to a World Cup match or Confederations Cup event, FIFA’s on the hook.
@Mid: Thanks for the clarification. As I typed, I wondered if that might be the case. However, I was too lazy to stop my rant and check. That said, CAF is one of the federations that reports to FIFA, no? Also, there has to be enough money at the CAF level (assuming proportional levels of corruption to the ultimate parent FIFA) to set up the workers comp style fund at the federation level (I know, assumes that the corrupt people would set aside money for someone else. Not a good assumption.)
@Wedel – funny you mention that b/c I kept trying to remember who our lawyers/law student commenters were so I could reference the bankable workers comp claim. But, alas, I couldn’t so I didn’t. But glad to know I wasn’t the only one thinking in that direction…