President of Togo Faure Gnassingbe (R) places a posthumous award on the coffin of one of the victims of an attack on the bus carrying the Togo national football team, in Lome, on Jan. 15. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that Togo will be banned from the next two Africa Cup of Nations and fined $50,000 as punishment for withdrawing from this year's tournament. CAF says it made this decision because the Togo government ordered its team to withdraw in spite of the players' desire to participate. (Emile Kouton/AFP/Getty Images)

On the eve of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations soccer final, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) caused a stir by announcing that Togo will be banned from the next two Africa Cup of Nations and fined $50,000 because of their withdrawal from this year's tournament held in Angola.

The Togo government and soccer squad are infuriated with the decision since their withdrawal was a response to a deadly assault on their team bus a few days before the tournament’s kick off on Jan. 10.

"This is a surprise decision and it means that people [CAF] have no consideration for the lives of other human beings," Togo Interior Minister Pascal Bodjona was reported as saying by BBC Sport.

Togo star player Emmanuel Adebayor called the decision “outrageous” and “a complete betrayal” of the Togo squad, according to media reports.

CAF explained on their Web site that the decision was because “the Togolese government decided to call back their national team” despite “a decision taken by players to participate in the competition. The decision taken by the political authorities is infringing CAF and African Nations Cup (CAN) regulations.”

Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor (C) sits on Jan. 15, 2010, in Lome with unidentified members of the team as they attend a national homage ceremony for the two victims, members of the Togolese football team, of the Jan. 8, 2010, attack on the Togolese football team as it was crossing the border between Congo and the Angolan enclave of Cabinda. An Angolan minister has accused French authorities of failing to take action against exiled separatist rebels linked to a gun attack on Togo's national football team. Angola's Foreign Minister Assuncao dos Anjos said leaders of the Front for the Liberation of Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) were living in France and called for Paris to hunt them down. Two FLEC splinter groups claimed responsibility for the Jan. 8 attack on the Togolese football team in Angola's oil-rich enclave of Cabinda ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. (Emile Kouton/AFP/Getty Images)

The Togo government is, in turn, considering legal action against the CAF and the Angolan state for organizing the tournament in a war zone, thereby endangering the lives of participants.

The coach of the Togo squad, Hubert Velud, has challenged the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to take a stance in this matter.

A Deadly Ambush

Two days before the official kickoff of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, which is one of the most prestigious sports events in Africa, the Togo soccer squad was on their way to a training camp when their bus was ambushed by gunmen shortly after crossing the Angolan border from Pointe Noire, Congo.

Togo's press officer, the assistant coach, and bus driver were killed in the attack that lasted for more than 20 minutes. The heavily traumatized Togo team returned home. After a period of mourning and deliberation with the Togo government, it was decided to withdraw from the tournament.

A rebel group named Front for the Liberation of the State of Cabinda (FLEC) claimed responsibility for the attack saying that the attack was not directed at the Togo soccer team but "against Angola's illegal occupation of Cabinda" Province.

Thus far, two suspects have been arrested by Angolan authorities.

Suggestions to cancel the tournament were rejected by the CAF. "Terrorism will never have the upper hand over our activities," CAF president Issa Hayatou was reported as saying by the BBC.

Other than tightened security measures, especially in Cabinda Province, the tournament went ahead as planned. On Sunday night, the Africa Cup of Nations came to an end with a 1-0 victory of Egypt over Ghana.