ALL IN THE (DYSFUNCTIONAL) FAMILY TOGO'S TURMOIL SPARROW HAWKS ARE DEFEATED AMID THE DISTRACTION OF DISPUTES S. KOREA 2, TOGO 1.

Byline: SCOTT FRENCH Staff Writer

FRANKFURT, Germany -- This World Cup's most enduring drama -- or is it farce? -- finally found its way into a stadium. If it seemed a freak show before, it turned far freakier Tuesday.

Otto Pfister, who quit Saturday as Togo coach in response to a battle between players and federation officials over bonus money, was back on the bench for the Sparrow Hawks' Cup debut against South Korea at Waldstadion. After an entertaining 2-1 defeat in the Group G opener, his latest tenure appeared finished.

Assogbaui Komlan, secretary general of the Federation Togolaise de Football, announced during the postgame mixed zone that Pfister no longer would have anything to do with the national team.

The declaration threw the West African nation's first World Cup appearance into disarray, not that that is extraordinary. Everything to do with the squad has been chaotic since it clinched its berth late last year.

This was something odder, as Komlan lashed out at Pfister, who had been given less than a month to prepare the team yet had it on the verge of beating the Koreans, who reached the semifinals four years ago.

``For me,'' Komlan said, ``Pfister is not the coach. I don't like Pfister. ... He is a bad man. He drinks too much.''

Komlan offered little other detail, and Togo's players hadn't a clue about what was going on. It was assumed a new coach -- or perhaps Pfister -- would be in charge today.

The saga has been ongoing since the African Nations Cup finals in January, when former Nigerian star Stephen Keshi, a Togolese national hero after guiding the Sparrow Hawks through World Cup qualifying, lashed out at Emmanuel Adebayor. Keshi claimed the star forward failed to adequately prepare for the tournament and told him he would be on the bench for the first game. Adebayor, the principal figure in qualifying with 10goals, didn't take the criticism lightly. When Keshi changed his mind and told the forward he would be in the starting lineup, Adebayor refused. Keshi called him a ``crybaby'' in a news conference and captain Jean-Paul Abalo asserted he had ``betrayed the Togolese people.''

Adebayor won the power struggle, especially after Togo's first-round exit at the African championship, and Keshi -- who has played and coached in Sacramento -- was dismissed. Enter Pfister, a German coach with a long history in Africa, with six previous stints in charge of national teams from the continent.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until players demanded about $200,000 apiece to play in the World Cup, plus another $38,700 per victory and nearly $20,000 per draw. Togo Prime Minister Edem Kodjo flew to Germany to solve the crisis, but by the time a deal was reached, Pfister was gone.

Arrangements were made to bring in Winfred Schaefer, another German coach with African ties, and then Pfister said he had been begged by players to return and would report to the team hotel Monday night.

When he didn't show, things turned absurd.

There were reports several players, including Adebayor, had quit the team, and that Pfister would not be in charge when Togo took on South Korea. But Pfister was on the bench and every player, Adebayor included, was in uniform when the Sparrow Hawks took the Waldstadion field.

Togo, demonstrating impressive athleticism but little sophistication, took a 1-0 lead on a superb goal by Mohamed Kader in the 31st minute.

But Abalo was ejected upon receiving his second yellow card in the 53rd, knocking down Korean star Park Ji-Sung as he sprinted toward Togo's box, and Lee Chun-Soo curled in the ensuing free kick to tie the score.

South Korea dictated play from that point on, to the delight of its red-clad supporters, who chanted and screamed, beat on drums and sang songs -- including a stirring rendition of ``Ode to Joy'' from Beethoven's ninth symphony -- as their heroes won their first World Cup match outside Korea. The decisive goal arrived in the 72nd minute, another superb strike, by second-half substitute Ahn Jung-Hwan.

Togo seemed content with the defeat as time ran down and the Koreans played an elaborate game of keep-away, and then Pfister appeared at the postgame news conference. He refused to speak about the coaching controversy, but everything appeared relatively normal.

Then Komlan began to speak, and things really were normal -- at least by Togolese standards.

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Photo:

(1 -- color) South Korea's Park Ji Sung, center, jumps for a header over Togo's Ludovic Assemoassa, right, and goalie Kossi Agassa during Tuesday's match.

Eugene Hoshiko/Associated Press

(2 -- color) Togo coach Otto Pfister has had run-ins with players and Assogbaui Komlan, head of the Togo soccer federation.

Anja Niedringhaus/Associated Press