00:00When it comes to AFCON, the world stopped in Africa, or the continent stopped.
00:19For us, it's like a festival.
00:23We play our drum, whatever you call it, and we dance.
00:32It's a cultural thing.
00:33The day that the country got a game, everything stopped.
00:35Even some president would ask the country to be off.
00:39I don't know how to call it.
00:41So for me, I grew up watching AFCON.
00:44I watched the first AFCON.
00:45My first ever AFCON was, I think, in 1998.
00:49I went to go beat Ghana.
00:51Kuba Jakarta scored this beautiful goal.
00:53And I'm like, okay, maybe one day I'll be there.
00:56Without thinking, it can't really happen.
00:59It was a dream, a childhood dream.
01:01And for me, being part of five AFCON from my country,
01:06I think in the history book, my country played only six, only seven or eight AFCON.
01:10And I have played five.
01:11I have been involved in five.
01:12So for me, it's a huge achievement.
01:15And I'm happy about being part of it.
01:19When we talk about AFCON, it's important to discuss what happened to you in 2010.
01:24Can you reflect on what happened and how it's changed your life?
01:28I was the captain of the team.
01:29And that morning, we had our breakfast in Pointe-to-Nwari,
01:32if I have a good memory, where we are doing our training camp.
01:35And I was the one telling everyone, let's go in the bus.
01:38We have to move.
01:39And so, so go on.
01:40And yes, we decided to jump on the bus.
01:42We went to the border in between Congo and Angola.
01:46So we did all our, our security check.
01:50If you have our vaccination, the yellow card on point.
01:53And everything was on point.
01:54And we crossed the border, jumped on.
01:56The CAF actually sent us.
01:58That's the day we are officially entering our AFCON in 2010 in Kabinda, in Angola.
02:05So the CAF officially sent us two bus.
02:08One for our luggage and one for the players.
02:11One is, one has, one is full option with aircon and everything.
02:15The other one not.
02:16So the one with the full option is supposed to be for the players.
02:19Mistakingly, we put our luggage in the one with the aircon.
02:24So when I crossed the border, I was the last player to cross the border.
02:28So when I crossed the border, I saw the players waiting for me.
02:30I'm like, jump on the bus, let's go.
02:31They said we made a mistake.
02:32What a mistake.
02:33They said we have all the bags and the balls and the equipment, the cones and everything.
02:38In the bus with the aircon.
02:40But the bus without the aircon, we're supposed to go inside now.
02:44What should we do?
02:45I'm like, guys, come on.
02:46You guys were born in Africa without even a fan in your house.
02:49Without the electricity in your house.
02:50What are you arguing for aircon or whatever in the bus?
02:54Let's jump in the bus.
02:56Obviously, it's one and a half hour drive.
02:58Let's go, man.
02:59We just, we open the window and we'll be there sooner.
03:02They agree on, because I'm the captain, so they agree.
03:05We jump in the bus.
03:06We jump on the bus, sorry.
03:09We start going.
03:10We can see from right to left is a bush.
03:13So the road is in the middle, just like African.
03:16So I think we drove, what, 10 kilometers, 15 kilometers.
03:21We hear the first explosion.
03:23Remember, I'm talking about beginning of January.
03:26Because December in Africa, you know, Christmas, New Year and everything.
03:33We all do this, fireworks and what's also going on.
03:35And I'm big.
03:36I'm very big when it comes to fireworks in December.
03:39I'm huge.
03:40So when we hear the noise, the first thing that came into mind is fireworks.
03:45But as soon as we open our eyes, we can see the bus, the first bus that's carrying the
03:50luggage is, how do you call it?
03:53Samasoten.
03:54Like, I'm like, what is happening?
03:57Then, obviously, we have to find a way to hide and everyone was shouting and the bus
04:02was going because the bus that we were sitting on or in, we opened the curtains and the bus,
04:12everything was open so you can see us.
04:14And some of the players, because we are so hot, we take the shirt off.
04:18My shirt was off.
04:19So they thought we are the supporters.
04:22So the other bus, where everything was closed, the curtains, we have curtains and the bus,
04:27closed.
04:28So they thought those are the players.
04:31So we stood in that ambush for like 40 minutes, where they were shooting the bus.
04:4040 minutes.
04:4140 good minutes.
04:42Where these military came to repose and they actually saved our lives.
04:48And we lost the assistant manager, Coach Amelete, may he rest in peace.
04:56And I also lost my PA, Stanislas Oklo, who was my PA, personal PA at the same time working for the national team.
05:09It was just hard.
05:10And two days later, we jumped on the same plane that brought us going back home.
05:18So the man sitting because it's a private jet of the president.
05:21So the person sitting in front of me, where we were going is the assistant manager, who is gone.
05:28And the one sitting next to him was Stanislas Oklo, who is my PA.
05:33So now two days later, you are sitting on the same plane, the same seat.
05:39You don't have those two persons anymore in front of you.
05:44But they are in the coffin below you.
05:47For me, that's the most hardest part of the whole thing.
05:51I was on the plane trembling, shaking because I'm like, how is this even possible?
05:58Two days ago, these guys were here talking, shouting, singing loud.
06:04Today, they are in a casket below me.
06:09It's impossible.
06:11So those, these are the things that you can't even wish for your enemy.
06:20You can't imagine because then also my girlfriend was pregnant.
06:24I called her quickly in the bus because we have time to make the phone calls.
06:28I called her and I told her because we decided to know, find out about the gender,
06:32if it's going to be a boy or a girl.
06:35And I told her, if it's a boy, name him Junio.
06:39If it's a girl, name him after me Emanuela.
06:43She said, what's happening?
06:44I said, don't worry.
06:45Just remember those names.
06:46She said, but you are going to be here to name her yourself because she doesn't know where I was.
06:50I'm like, don't worry.
06:51If it's a girl, name her Emanuela.
06:54If it's a boy, name him Junio.
06:57So that's what I said.
06:58And then just after a few minutes, she heard what is happening on the radio, on the TV.
07:04And everyone was calling me and my family got panicked because the first call that went to Togo,
07:11it's Adebayo's dead.
07:13And obviously you can imagine.
07:15Adebayo lovers, Adebayo fans, Adebayo's family, they were all panicking.
07:19And my mom, like people call me crying.
07:22When I pick up, they couldn't believe I'm the one talking because they have official announcement that I'm dead.
07:27So those are the most difficult moments I had in my life.
07:31Being in ambush and getting, hearing the sound of a gun for 14 minutes in a row.
07:38It's unbelievable.
07:39It's unbearable.
07:40That's life.
07:41Since then, I became closer to the assistant manager, the one that passes away, Mr. Amelete,
07:52because obviously I knew his family, even before.
07:55Before I was in Monaco, his son was in Nice.
07:59So his son, Basil, we were literally very close.
08:02And we became even closer when that thing happened because he was always in my house.
08:09He always come and watch me play in Monaco.
08:12I became a player that walked underneath his father.
08:15His father passes away in my hand.
08:18And, you know, those are the people that brought something beautiful to football.
08:23Those are the people, Football of Togo, obviously.
08:26Those are the people that want the country to move forward.
08:29And him not being anymore with us today is hard.
08:33And I'm still close to his daughter.
08:35I'm still close to his son, Basil.
08:37We start with Rita.
08:38She's the one that, since that day, I always have long hair.
08:42Since that day, till like, the daughter who moved to France, she's the one that wore my hair.
08:48Just because I want to get closer to the family.
08:50And I became closer also to the mother, to the wife, obviously, to the kids' mother.
08:56Because of what happened.
08:58And I was support.
08:59I was supporting her, talking to her.
09:01Like, okay, your husband is not there, but your sons, we are here.
09:05And Stanislas, it was even harder because he was my, he was like, not my father, but like my very close friend.
09:13Because he was my peer.
09:14Every interview I was doing in Togo, it was uncommon.
09:17He had to tell me what to say and who to reply to and what to not reply to.
09:21And him passing away, it was a big hole in my career because we trusted each other.
09:28And obviously, he made a big impact towards BBC Player of the Year that I won.
09:35They were the one doing the campaign on, you know, those days people have to vote.
09:39They are the one making the big impact, big votes.
09:42And him also not being there, obviously, I was again, I was helped towards the parents, the family.
09:49But today, these people live a legacy.
09:53And on the 8th of January, we always celebrated.
09:56And they are, they are departure on Earth.
09:59And we knew that they are somewhere there praying for the, for the football, the country to be in a better, in a better, in a better situation, in a better mood, in a better space.
10:10But unfortunately, it's not happened.
10:12But we knew, sooner or later, it will change.
10:14And I just want to pay tribute to those two.
10:19That there is no one day that I wake up without remembering them because, if you are talking about football,
10:25because I knew that day that I could have been gone.
10:29Because anyone in the bus could have been gone.
10:32Because, you know, like, they are looking what they are shooting.
10:35They are shooting on the bus to kill every living thing on that bus.
10:40And we were all there.
10:41So, we were lucky enough to be here today.
10:45And what I want to say is their family to be strong for them.
10:48We are also being strong for them.
10:53And there is nothing that can replace life.
10:57There is nothing that can replace life.
10:58Or what we can say today is we are sending again in 2025.
11:03That happened in 2010.
11:05That's what, 15 years ago.
11:07We can only send them love, respect, and asking God to accept them with Him.
11:16For their soul to rest in perfect peace.
11:19For their family members, what we can say is we are very sorry for their loss.
11:25We are with them.
11:27Even though we can say it in those difficult moments,
11:30but we are still with them in these difficult moments.
11:33Because there is no one day, there is no one 8th of January that we will still be alive.
11:39That we will not remember that day.
11:41So, remembering that day, we are remembering them.
11:44And also, we are also remembering the family.
11:46So, big love, big respect, and let's keep living.
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