FIFA have stepped in to end the row over Togo players' pay demands by agreeing to pay the squad's bonuses directly.

The players had threatened to boycott their remaining World Cup matches because they feared the Togo football federation would not keep their promise to pay the bonuses after the tournament.

FIFA have now agreed to pay the players' bonuses directly rather than pay the federation first and leave it to them to pass the money on to the squad.

The action means Togo's last match against France on Friday in Cologne will now go ahead although after their 2-0 defeat by Switzerland yesterday the west African side are unable to qualify for the next round.

FIFA communications director Markus Siegler said: "It is in the form of an advance to Togo, so the situation should now calm down."

The players wanted £110,000 each to play in the tournament, plus £21,000 each for a win and £11,000 per draw.

On the pitch, coach Otto Pfister has vowed to ring the changes for Togo's final Group G game as he bids to frustrate France's search for goals.

The African side will only be playing for pride in Cologne on Friday but will be aware that the French must win by two goals to be sure of progressing.

Pfister, whose squad have been dubbed 'Der Chaos-Team' in the German press because of the off-the-field problems which have disrupted their first World Cup campaign, hopes his side can still sign off in style even though they have no chances of qualifying following the 2-0 defeat by Switzerland.

"We came here with 23 players," said Pfister. "And ideally I would like to give them all some experience."

For the Swiss game Pfister made four changes, although two of them were enforced by a suspension for Jean-Paul Abalo and a cruciate ligament injury to Ludovic Assemoassa.

Now more modifications could be made for the match with the 1998 winners.

"I will make several changes," said Pfister, whose team were the first of the 31 foreign teams to arrive in Germany.

The German coach denied that making big changes to his team would be favourable for France, which once counted what was known as 'French Togoland' among its colonies.

"We were the first team to arrive here and my job is to try to teach them something and develop them as footballers.

"I am only interested in what is happening with my team and I could make three changes or more."

Pfister admitted the problems which have dogged the Sparrowhawks had contributed to his side's elimination from their first World Cup finals.

Pfister said: "When you have week-long quarrels it obviously does not help but the team gave everything."

The threatened boycott meant the players arrived late in Dortmund and trained late on Sunday evening for a match which was played on Monday.

Pfister said: "For a match of this level you need 24 hours to get the team rested and ready to play so the preparation was not ideal for us."

Pfister again refused to comment about the rights and wrongs of the bonus issue which led the players to make the boycott threat.