Shock as guerrillas open fire on Togo squad ahead of Africa cup

ENGLISH Premier League clubs are preparing to bring their African stars home if assurances cannot be provided over their safety following yesterday's attack on the Togo squad two days before the start of the African Nations Cup in Angola.

The team bus came under an attack that, according to reports, left the driver dead and at least six other passengers injured, including two of the Togolese squad.

Manchester City – whose star striker Emmanuel Adebayor was not harmed in the attack in the restive enclave of Cabinda – and Portsmouth have contacted the Football Association, asking it to speak to Fifa to ensure players' safety can be guaranteed, and calling for them to be sent home if it cannot.

A spokesman for Portsmouth, who have a number of players away on African Nations Cup duty, said: "We will be asking the FA to talk to Fifa to ensure the players' safety. That is paramount, and if the players' safety can't be ensured, then the players should be sent home."

Adebayor admitted a lot of his Togo team-mates wanted to quit the African Nations Cup at the earliest opportunity.

The striker was due to convene a team meeting as captain late last night at which the squad will discuss whether they stay in Angola or return to their clubs.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think a lot of players want to leave, I don't think they want to be at this tournament any more because they have seen their death already.

"Most of the players want to go back to their family. No-one can sleep after what they have seen today. They have seen one of their team-mates have a bullet in his body, who is crying, who is losing consciousness and everything."

"So we will have a good meeting tonight, everyone will go to their room, they will rest and we will see tomorrow morning we will make a decision which is good for our life."

Adebayor added: "We are still in shock. If the security is not sure then we will be leaving. I don't think they will be ready to give their life. We will discuss everything as a team and we will take a decision that we think is good for our career, is good for our life and good for our family."

Romanian club Vaslui confirmed their defender Serge Akakpo was one of the players who had been shot and badly injured in the attack.

Aston Villa have also confirmed their midfielder Moustapha Salifou is "shaken but okay" following the attack after managing to make contact with the 26-year-old's brother.

Villa manager Martin O'Neill told his club's official website: "I am really shocked to hear about this. Obviously I am pleased and relieved to hear that Moustapha is okay and that he is not among the injured people.

"The club have been in contact with him and he has reassured us that he is okay but he is extremely shocked and upset, which of course he would be in these circumstances."

"Our first priority is the safety of the players but the tournament will go ahead," Confederation of African Football (CAF) spokesman Suleimanu Habubu said in Luanda.

But an official from the local organising committee took a more bizarre line which flew in the face of the reports of the incident. He immediately brushed off any security concerns in the region.

"It's safe," said the official. "Cabinda is completely safe. The national team of Burkina Faso has been there since 2 January."

Angolan separatist guerrilla group the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) claimed responsibility for the attack. The bus had just entered Cabinda, where separatists have waged a three-decade long war, when it came under heavy gunfire for several minutes, a Togo team official said.

Vaslui confirmed Akakpo, who joined the club from French side Auxerre last year, was shot and badly injured in the attack. The club said, though, the 22-year-old was out of danger after being treated by doctors.

A statement on the club's website read: "Badly injured in an ambush in Angola, Serge Akakpo is now out of danger.

"Akakpo was struck by two bullets in the attack and has lost much blood. His condition was stabilised by doctors. FC Vaslui have been in touch with relatives of the player, who confirmed he has undergone surgery, which went very well."

Togo and Nantes striker Thomas Dossevi told French radio: "I'm okay but several players are in a bad state. We are still at hospital. We were machine-gunned like dogs and had to remain hidden under our seats for around 20 minutes to avoid the bullets."

Midfielder Alaixys Romao admits the players feared the worst and thinks Togo are now likely to pull out of the tournament. "We're not thinking yet of what could happen," said Romao, who plays his club football for French side Grenoble.

"But it's true that no-one wants to play. We're not capable of it. We're thinking first of all about the health of our injured because there was a lot of blood on the ground."

Fifa offered "utmost sympathy" to the Togo team after the incident. A statement read: "Fifa and its president, Joseph S. Blatter, are deeply moved by today's incidents which affected Togo's national team, to whom they express their utmost sympathy."

Fifa said it was in touch with the African Football Confederation (CAF) and its president, Issa Hayatou, and expected a full report on the situation.