The attack on the Togo team bus has
overshadowed the tournament |
Togo have been banned from the next two Africa
Cup of Nations following their withdrawal from this year's
tournament.
The Confederation of African football (Caf) also fined the
Hawks $50,000 for quitting the competition in the wake of a gun
attack on the team bus in Angola.
Two members of their delegation were killed in the ambush,
which occurred on 8 February, two days before the start of the
tournament.
The Togo government is furious over the decision, threatening
legal action.
"This is a surprise decision and it means that people (Caf)
have no consideration for the lives of other human beings," Togo
Interior Minister Pascal Bodjona told BBC Sport.
"This is insulting to the family of those who lost their
lives and those traumatised because of the attack.
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"We had two people dead and others suffered so if those
people at Caf had any consideration for others I don't think at
this time this is a reasonable decision.
"We are awaiting the official notification and we are going
to take legal action to resolve the matter."
World football governing body Fifa declined to comment on the
ban.
A statement from Caf read: "The executive committee has
banned Togo from the next two African Nations Cup and fined the
Togo FA 50,000 U.S. dollars."
A Togolese assistant coach and a press officer died following
the ambush on their bus in the northern Angolan province of
Cabinda on 8 January, prompting the government to recall the team
for three days of mourning.
The Hawks initially wanted to compete in Group B with Ivory
Coast, Ghana and Burkina Faso, but quit on 10 January - the
tournament's start date - on 10 January on their national
government's orders.
But African football's governing body says the decision to
pull the team out amounted to governmental interference in the
sport.
"The players publicly expressed their willingness to return
to the Nations Cup to compete. But the Togo government decided to
call back their national team," Caf explained in its statement.
"The decision by political authorities contravenes Caf and
African Nations Cup regulations."
Togo midfielder Thomas Dossevi, who was on the bus when it
came under fire minutes after it crossed the Angolan border from
Pointe Noire, Congo, said Togo should appeal against the ban.
"We are a group of footballers who came under fire and now we
can't play football any more. They are crushing us," Dossevi said.
"Togo should appeal the suspension. When we said we were
going home for a three-day mourning they said they were with us in
this ordeal and now they punish us."
Meanwhile, the families of the assistant coach and the press
officer were taking legal action against the Caf and the Angolan
state, their lawyer said.
"We are taking legal action because our compatriots were
killed because of the mistakes of the Confederation of African
Football (and) its president Mr Issa Hayatou," lawyer Alexis
Aquereburu said.
"(The legal claim is) also against the Angolan state for
putting in danger the life of our compatriots by organising this
African Nations Cup in a war zone."
The armed wing of the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave
of Cabinda (FLEC), embroiled in a decades-long separatist
struggle, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The FLEC has fought a 30-year war against Angola's government
for independence.
One grievance is that Cabindans see little of the money from
oil that comes from their land.
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