Togo PM Demands Team Returns Home

Togo Prime Minister Gilbert Houngbo has demanded the football team should not compete in the Africa Cup of Nations even though the players want to play. There has been confusion surrounding Togo's participation following Friday's deadly gun attack on their team bus in Angola which left three people dead. Togo captain and Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor had originally intended to return home. However, in an apparent U-turn he wants to stay for the sake of the tournament. Adebayor said the team thought that despite the attack on their convoy in the northern enclave of Cabinda, which killed an assistant coach, press officer and bus driver, and injured several others including players, life should go on and they did not want to be seen as ruining the Nations Cup. Team-mate Thomas Dossevi also said the players want to honour those killed and French paper L'Equipe quoted Alaixys Romao as saying the team would not leave like cowards. But Houngbo said the government was standing by its decision to call the team home and has sent a plane to collect them, although he does believe the competition should go ahead. The bi-annual tournament is set to begin on Sunday with the hosts Angola playing Mali in Luanda at 1900 GMT. Togo are due to play Ghana in Cabinda in their first match on Monday. Ghana have confirmed they will play in the competition. A statement from the Ghana Football Association read: "The Black Stars will be competing in Cabinda when the Africa Cup of Nations group matches kick off on Monday despite events of the past two days. "Ghana's team at the competition has been assured of total security in the wake of last Friday's terror attack on group opponents, Togo." Togo 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 astonishment that the team had travelled there by road from their base in the Republic of Congo. On Saturday, government spokesman Pascal Bodjona said Togo's players were returning home because they were in a state of shock. "We cannot in such a dramatic circumstance continue in the Africa Cup of Nations," he told reporters. He reiterated that message on Sunday, saying: "The government is maintaining its decision to call the team back home." Adebayor said on City's website on Saturday he was returning to the UK. But following a late-night meeting it appears the team now wants to stay. "We are all heartbroken, it is no longer a party, but we want to show our national colours, our values and that we are men," said Dossevi. "It was a decision taken nearly unanimously by the team which met during the night after having been reassured by the Angolan authorities," he added. Romao said: "We have just had a meeting of the whole delegation and we will be on the pitch on Monday to face Ghana.