No one can help but be disturbed by the dramatic pictures coming out of Angola on Friday night, with players from the small West African nation of Togo cowering in terror after being shot upon by guerrillas in the disputed region of Cabinda. The likes of Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor hiding on the team bus as a gun battle ensued for half hour between the rebels and the teams own convoy of security.
It has to be said that the way that the Togoese team has reacted with grace and dignity - remember one of their goalkeepers is in intensive care in a Johannesburg hospital as I write this.
However, as dastardly a attack on Sport as this is, it cannot under any circumstances be allowed to undermine not just the tournament in Angola - but the World Cup finals being staged in South Africa in June. To allow that to happen would be to give succour to the bastards who launched this unprovoked terrorist attack.
Yet I am seeing certain ill-informed individuals pontificating on the channels stating that it will only give hope to such groups wanting to launch a spectacular at those finals - questioning whether or not the finals should be happening in Africa in the first place.
But then ask the likes of Essien, Drogba and Adebayor and those before them. Weah, Kanu amongst the African greats.
People do not have a clue just what having the greatest show on earth on their continent will do to the African psyche. Make no mistake within a decade, Cote D'Ivoire or Ghana will probably have won the World Cup and the inevitable will become a reality.
Africa will become the 21st century heartbeat of World Football.
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