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heavy fire. The driver was shot almost immediately and died instantly so
we were just stopped on the road with nowhere to go.
"I
know I am really lucky. I was in the back of the coach with Emmanuel
Adebayor and one of the goalkeepers. A defender sat in front of me took
two shots in the back.
"The goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale Dodo, one of my best friends, was shot
in the stomach and was flown to South Africa to undergo an operation to
save his life.
"It was horrific. Everybody was crying. I don't know how anyone can do
this.
"I
am back at our camp in Cabinda with my team-mates but we all want to go
home to Togo. We have made our decision. We can't play in these
circumstances and want to leave for home.
"We don't want to compete in the tournament because our assistant
manager and the press officer have been killed. As a team we have made
this decision."
Togo captain, and Manchester City striker, Adebayor, who was on the
coach but also unharmed, has been told by his club that he will be given
as much time as needs to recover from the attack.
Adebayor told BBC Afrique: "A lot of people would love to be in our
position [as footballers] but I don't think anybody would be prepared to
give their life.
"If I am alive I can still play football tomorrow and in one year maybe
even another Cup of Nations but I am not ready to pass away now."
Defender Serge Akakpo, who plays for Romanian club Vaslui, was hit by
two bullets and lost a lot of blood in the attack in oil-rich Cabinda.
His club reported that his condition was stabilised and he underwent
successful surgery.
Reserve keeper Obilale, who plays for French club GSI Pontivy, was also
seriously wounded and transferred to hospital in South Africa, while
several other players required treatment.
"I
don't think any of the players will be able to sleep after this," said
Adebayor, who admitted they were all still in shock.
"You cannot sleep after what we have seen - one of your team-mates with
bullets in his body in front of you, crying and losing consciousness. It
is very difficult."
Caf spokesman Souleymane Habuba offered sympathy for the Togo team but
questioned why they had travelled by road rather than flying to Angola.
"CAF's
regulations are clear: teams are required to fly rather than travel by
bus," he said.
Football's world governing body Fifa has expressed its concern about the
attack.
"Fifa
and its president, Sepp Blatter, are deeply moved by today's incidents
which affected Togo's national team, to whom they express their utmost
sympathy," said a statement.
"Fifa
is in touch with Caf and its president, Issa Hayatou, from which it
expects a full report on the situation."
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