Le Guen warns that Cameroon will pull out if violence continues

Published on Saturday 9 January 2010 19:57

THERE are three SPL players in Angola for the Africa Cup of Nations and the participation of at least one was thrown into doubt yesterday when it emerged Celtic midfielder Landry N'Guemo's Cameroon side will be withdrawn if the violence continues.

Togo's team bus came under fire from an armed separatist group in the northern Angolan province of Cabinda on Friday and Togo yesterday withdrew from the competition in the wake of the tragic events.

Cameroon head coach Paul Le Guen insists he will pull his team out of the competition if the security threat heightens. The former Rangers manager said: "I must say am a little worried. It was a terrible incident. Fortunately, we will not play in that region. The attack happened in the north and we will play further south.

"We are a long way from the province of Cabinda. But it's not worth losing lives for the sake of football. We have very little information at this time, but if this type of thing continues, we will have no choice but to consider withdrawing from the tournament."

Cameroon face Gabon in their opening game on Wednesday.

Hibs defender Sol Bamba, meanwhile, was due to face Togo in Ghana's opening match tomorrow at Cabinda Stadium. Ghana's remaining fixtures are now expected to be switched away from the region to the south of the country.

The third SPL player, Madjid Bougherra of Rangers, last night insisted the shootings haven't shaken his desire to compete.

Friday's attack has led to calls to have all British-based players withdrawn but Bougherra is adamant all he is focusing on is helping Algeria get off to the best possible start in their opening match tomorrow.

He said: "Of course, this is a very serious and unfortunate situation. But all we are thinking about is our opening match against Malawi.

"We have had good preparation for the competition and, mentally, we are equipped to deal with this. Our aim is to go as far as possible in the Africa Cup of Nations and bring joy to the Algerian people. That is what matters most to all the players here, believe me."

Algeria's team bus came under attack in Egypt two months ago in their penultimate World Cup qualifier. Three players were seriously injured in that incident, but Algeria battled back to win a play-off against Egypt in Sudan to secure their place at this summer's finals.

Bougherra added: "We've been through so much already. But we have kept on fighting and never given up."