Togo look for win over France to hold heads high

COLOGNE, June 20 (Reuters) After an abortive first World Cup campaign marred by a pay dispute, coaching crisis and near match boycott, Togo badly want a win over France in their final game to draw attention back to their achievements on the pitch.

The West African side's 2-0 defeat by Switzerland on Monday ended any hope of advancing to the knockout stages but they put up a dogged fight as in their first Group G game against South Korea which also ended in a 2-1 loss.

''We are bitterly disappointed. All we can do now is put all our strength into the match against France,'' midfielder Alaixys Romao told Reuters after the game.

Although the pay row looks to be settled after players lowered their demands, support for the squad at home has started to fizzle as some fans blame the team's exit on the perceived greed of the players -- making a good result against France all the more vital.

''It is always special when any African team plays France.

Motivation springs from that alone,'' striker Mohamed Kader Coubadja told reporters.

''France has good players but they are not a team,'' he added.

The French World Cup campaign has looked feeble so far and the team needs a comfortable win over Togo in Cologne on Friday to guarantee a second round ticket.

LESSONS LEARNED Togo's German coach Otto Pfister told a news conference the team had come to the World Cup to learn and had given their best in extremely difficult circumstances.

He added he would use the match with France to field players who had not yet taken to the pitch.

Asked whether the Togo national soccer federation had learned lessons from the chaos around the team Pfister answered: ''Only time will tell ... but I had the impression here that I was working alone here without any support.'' Togo's pay dispute with the national federation began before the tournament started and looked at one point as if it would disrupt Monday's match, with players refusing to leave their base until an agreement was reached after FIFA's intervention.

Pfister walked out on the team just before the tournament, saying the pay row made it impossible for him to do his job. He returned just in time for their first match.

REUTERS PM KP1441