It’s now official. Togo has withdrawn from the African Cup of Nations which kicks off this Sunday. The decision comes after a bus carrying the Togolese national team was attacked by armed rebels in the Cabinda province of Angola.
The tragedy has deeply affected the national team.
But the Hawks might not be the only ones to leave the competition.
“The party is over … after what happened,” Didier Drogba told the Togolese squad on Saturday afternoon. The captain and legendary player of the Ivorian squad also announced the Ivory Coast’s desire to withdraw from the competition after what happened to Togo, considering the risk his team runs in Cabinda, where their matches are scheduled to take place.
Joining the Ivorians who are deeply disturbed by the rebel attack against Togo, Ghana and Cameroon have also expressed their desire to leave Angola before the 2010 Nations Cup kicks off on Sunday.
Speaking to Emmanuel Adebayor, captain of the Togolese squad and Manchester City striker, Samuel Eto’o and Michael Essien expressed the desire of their respective teams to return to their countries.
For Drogba, Essien and Eto’o, the tournament has to be canceled after what happened yesterday, Friday, in Cabinda.
Finally, according to Canal + Sport, Mozambique has also announced that they are considering the possibility of withdrawing from CAN 2010.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football, in light of the recent events, has convened a special meeting to decide on how to proceed: Relocation of the CAN 2010 matches or an outright cancellation of the competition? The questions are yet to be answered.
