Official: Togo wants to play in World Cup to honor dead

CABINDA, Angola — The Togo football team will take part in the African Cup of Nations to honor those killed in a shooting attack on the team bus, an African football official said Sunday. Confederation of African Football spokesman Kodzo Samlan told The Associated Press that he spoke to the players and “they confirmed they want to play." He says “the players understood that they had to play—to honor the dead." Some members of the Togo team, as well as the Togo government, had given earlier indications that the squad would withdraw from the tournament after three people were killed and eight injured in an ambush on Friday. However Samlan—who is from Togo—said by telephone from Benguela, Angola, that the team was awaiting approval from the Togo government to remain. Friday’s ambush killed an assistant coach, a team spokesperson and the bus driver, according to the team and the Togo government. Eight others were wounded. Midfielder Alaixys Romao, who plays for French Ligue 1 club Grenoble, was quoted to say in L’Equipe that the squad and officials met Saturday and elected to go ahead with the tournament, starting with their opening match against Ghana on Monday. “People died for this tournament, others were injured. We can’t abandon them and leave like cowards," Romao reportedly said. “If we stay here, it’s for them. But also so as not to give satisfaction to the rebels. “Our government doesn’t necessarily agree with us but we are determined to play in this competition. The decision was taken unanimously." With tournament officials declaring the tournament will start on schedule on Sunday, and with Togo’s Group B matches to be played in restive Cabinda, the tour party was met there on Saturday by most of the top officials of the CAF, who implored Togo to stay. CAF president Issa Hayatou said he’d received a guarantee from Angola Prime Minister Antonio Paulo Kassoma that security would be beefed up for all teams and at all venues. “You came here to play football but unfortunately two of your brothers were killed," Hayatou said. “I am feeling terribly bad and short of words. “It is left to you to decide to stay in a competition synonymous with fraternity, brotherhood, friendship and solidarity. “In case you decide to leave the competition, we will definitely understand your decision and it will be accepted. It is a difficult choice—individual and collective—you are the only ones who can decide." The Togo government, aside from wanting the party back home, demanded an apology on Saturday from Angola and African Cup organizers for basing the team in Cabinda. Togo government spokesman Pascal Bodjona said from the capital Lome that it was difficult to understand why Angolan authorities chose Cabinda to host cup matches when it knew “the area was a dangerous and risky zone." Bodjona said nobody informed Togo that it was hazardous to travel by road to Cabinda. Unrest associated with Cabinda, a northern enclave cut off from the rest of Angola by a strip of Congo, had been at low levels. The main separatist group was the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC). The Angolan information minister blamed the group for the attack. Portugal’s state-run Lusa news agency said FLEC claimed responsibility in a message on Friday. In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Saturday, the civilian arm of the separatist group did not claim responsibility for what it called an “unfortunate incident," but said it was irresponsible of organizers to have ignored warnings from separatists that matches should not be held in Cabinda. With Africa’s football championship set to open as planned on Sunday, other teams remained shocked and worried by the ambush. “We have goose bumps … who knows what is going to happen to us," Amade Chababe, Mozambique assistant coach, told AP Television News when the squad passed through Johannesburg en route to Angola on Saturday. Ivory Coast was “shocked and are living through very hard times" but not considering pulling out, general manager Kaba Kone told The Associated Press. He said the Ivorian players visited Togo late Friday to express their sympathy. In South Africa, the local organizing committee of the World Cup said the attack had no relevance to its event starting in June. “We wish to state that there is no link between what happened in Angola and South Africa’s preparations to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup," spokesman Rich Mkhondo said. “We also cannot compare organization and security in Angola with South Africa just because the two countries happen to be in the same region in the world." FIFA president Sepp Blatter expressed his support for African football, and offered FIFA’s backing to CAF in a letter on Saturday to Hayatou. Blatter said he looked forward with confidence to FIFA and CAF organizing the World Cup. Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor said that soon after their convoy entered Cabinda, “from nowhere gunmen began to open fire on our bus." He said the gunfire lasted 30 minutes before Angolan soldiers repulsed the assailants. Togo goalkeeper Kossi Agassa told France-Info radio that a Togo assistant coach and a spokesperson died and that a second goalkeeper was badly wounded. Kodjovi “Dodji" Obilale, the injured goalkeeper who also plays for French club Pontivy, was flown to South Africa for surgery. Trauma specialist Elias Degiannis said Sunday that Obilale was stable, but sedated and on a respirator in the intensive care unit of Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg. – AP