Tottenham were given a slight edge when Emmanuel Adebayor announced that he will not continue to play internationally for Togo due to a pay dispute that was not promptly resolved. As a result, the Spurs striker will no longer take part at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
In his statement, the Sparrow Hawks player declared that despite the fact that he was the former captain of the team he will not continue to for Togo and last week he condemned the fact that he had not been paid after the stunning Morocco win that he led the team through.
In addition to issuing a statement, Adebayor also asked that the Togolese football federation place aside a sum of money that was paid to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. He explained that if the fees are not straightened out then he is not going to play internationally or for his country any longer. He said that within the FA the only thing that anyone ever worries about is money, and there are plenty of players that have only received half of their money or none of it.
Adebayor also expressed concern that players turn to him to ask about when they will be paid and it is a shame. He said he asked the Moroccan Federation who told him that the Togolese FA has been paid and that means that the President has the money but has not yet distributed it to any of the actual players choosing to keep it for himself.