Venue and dates: Angola, 10-31 January Coverage: Final and semi-finals live on BBC TV, with commentaries on BBC World Service and BBC Sport website.
Togo's request to return to play at the Africa Cup of Nations has been turned down by the tournament organisers.
The squad flew home on Sunday in the wake of Friday's gun attack, which killed three people.
The country's sports minister claims to have lobbied the Confederation of African Football to allow the team to take part after three days of mourning.
But Caf, which initially wanted Togo to remain in Angola, gave no reason for its decision to exclude them.
After saying they wanted to go home in the immediate aftermath of the attack, the Togo players decided they wished to stay before finally being convinced by their national authorities to take a flight to the Togolese capital of Lome on Sunday night.
 | Twitter Link BBC World Service's Richard Conolly in Angola |
As he boarded a plane in Cabinda, Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor said: "We have to mourn our dead. We go back home to do this."
Despite the postponement of the side's opening match against Ghana in Cabinda on Monday evening, Togo sports minister Christophe Padumhokou Tchao still believed it is was possible that they could rejoin the tournament.
"The players are leaving with the bodies of their fallen brothers and we have asked the Confederation of African Football to find an arrangement so we can catch up with the competition later," he stated on Sunday night.
The BBC's Russell Fuller in the Angolan capital of Luanda said that the decision seemed to be based on politics rather than practicalities.
"It might have meant that the last group matches could not have been played simultaneously. It may have been that the television schedules would have to change or that the players played more often than they are used to," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
"But in these circumstances I don't think any of these obstacles would have been insurmountable.
"It would be foolish to say that Caf will not change its mind but having released this statement it has not left itself much wriggle room."
The stance of Togo's sports minister in Caminda seemed to contradict that of his country's prime minister in Lome.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 live, Gilbert Huongbo denied Togo had made any formal request to re-enter the Africa Cup of Nations.
He said that when the team withdrew from the tournament, it was for good, not just for a period of mourning.
Angolan state media reported on Monday morning that two unidentified suspects had been arrested over the attack which took place as Togo's convoy crossed from the Republic of Congo into Cabinda.
An assistant coach, press officer and bus driver were killed while several other players were injured.
A faction of the separatist group, Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, has claimed responsibility for the 30-minute attack.
 Angola has increased security for all teams and at all venues |
Togo's government insisted its players return home from the tournament because of security fears but reports claimed negotiations were ongoing throughout Sunday.
But as the opening match between Angola and Mali kicked off at 1900 GMT, the Togo team were heading for the airport and their flight to Lome took off at 2040.
In the tournament's opening ceremony in Luanda, Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos condemned the attack but insisted that Cabinda would still play a part in staging the event.
"There is no need to be afraid," he said.
After the observation of a minute's silence, the first match saw Angola go 4-0 up with 11 minutes to go before Mali fought back to clinch a 4-4 draw.
Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor, who plays for Premier League side Manchester City, explained that his colleagues accepted the authorities' wishes to return despite deciding they would prefer to stay in Angola in a team meeting.
He said: "This Friday at 1430, we were all dead on that bus. We sent our last messages to our families. We called our family to say our last words. I told myself: 'If you're still there on the ground in Angola, why not [play]?'
"The authorities decided we should return [home], so we will return."
Adebayor also revealed he spoke to members of the Ivory Coast and Ghana camps and agreed with their own decisions to remain in the competition.
"They expressed their support by saying they were ready to leave the competition if we did," revealed Adebayor.
"[But] at the end of the day, we realised that they were ready to continue. It is still a continent where a World Cup will take place in South Africa.
"If we speak of the dead, the competition should have been cancelled but the Confederation of African Football has decided otherwise.
"We're going back and we wish good luck to those who will remain, especially to Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
"What I have told their leaders is that they may be attacked at any time in Cabinda. I hope they will be cautious."
Team-mate Thomas Dossevi said part of the players' motivation for wanting to stay was to honour those killed and French paper L'Equipe quoted another player, Alaixys Romao, as saying the team would not "leave like cowards".
Earlier on Sunday, Togo prime minister Houngbo had said that while he understood the feelings of the players and believed the competition should go ahead, the government stood by its decision to call the team back to Togo.
"We took into account their last-minute change of mind," Houngbo told the BBC. "Up to midnight last night, they were all unanimous that they wanted to come back.
"After the delegation that we sent to visit them left, then they had another meeting and all of a sudden they changed their mind and we do respect that.
"But we explained to them through their captain Adebayor that in memory of those who had lost their lives, we also need to take into account what the families also think is the best way to pay tribute to them."
Houngbo also criticised Caf, claiming it had not given Togo any information to assess the security situation after the attack.
"So far we did not even have a single call, even a call of sympathy, from Caf," he stated.
| CABINDA  Oil-rich province cut off from the rest of Angola by DR Congo Flec rebels fought for region's independence Rebels laid down arms in 2006 but some unrest continues Angola had dismissed concerns about staging games there |
"We do not even have information that will allow us to have an assessment from a security standpoint, taking into account what has happened."
The Togolese government has demanded Angola explain why it was not warned of the dangers of travel in Cabinda, where the bus was ambushed.
Angolan officials had earlier expressed surprise that the team had travelled there by road from their base in the Republic of Congo.
Caf had previously stated that it understood Togo's initial decision to withdraw but that the four remaining matches scheduled to be played in Cabinda would go ahead.
And Caf president Issa Hayatou said he had received a guarantee from the Angolan government that security would be increased for all teams and at all venues.
Togo will be officially disqualified from the tournament when they fail to show up for the match against Ghana.
Togolese officials revealed the driver had died at the scene, while media officer Stanislas Ocloo and assistant coach Amalete Abalo died later in hospital.
Reserve goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale, who was shot twice, is in a stable condition in intensive care in a South African hospital after undergoing emergency surgery.
"The medical team is satisfied with the progress of Mr Obilale. He will however remain in the trauma intensive care unit until he is fully out of danger," said doctor Ken Boffard.
Boffard stated that one of the bullets that hit Obilale would not be removed from his body because of the risk of causing further injury.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment