Saturday morning the President of the Confederation of African Football had an extensive discussion with the Prime Minister of Angola. Following the meeting, President Issa Hayatou received all the assurances that security will be beefed up at all the competitions venues as requested by the various delegations.

The assistant coach, press officer and driver were killed. Two players were shot and injured in Friday’s attack.

Organisers insist the tournament will go ahead and still want Togo to play.

But Togo midfielder Alaixys Romao told French paper L’Equipe: “We’re talking to the other teams in our group to try to convince them to boycott too.”

Togo were due to play Ghana in their opening match in the northern Angola province of Cabinda, where the attack took place, on Monday.

Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso are the other teams in Group B.

According to BBC sources, organisers are currently trying to persuade Togo to remain in Angola and have pledged to strengthen security measures.

Meanwhile, clubs want African players back after Togo attack. Hull boss Phil Brown has led calls for Premier League players at the Africa Cup of Nations to return to the UK after the Togo bus came under gunfire.

Hull’s Gabon striker Daniel Cousin and Nigerian midfielder Seyi Olofinjana are among 31 Premier League players in Africa for the tournament.

And Brown told The Sun: “I have two players on duty and I want them home.”

But Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, who does not have any players at the tournament, said: “It’s frightening. It’s worth considering calling the whole thing off. We can’t just sit around and wait for the next shooting.”

Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill expressed his shock at the incident but was relieved his midfielder Moustapha Salifou was not among the injured.

“The club have been in contact with him and he has reassured us that he is OK but he is extremely shocked and upset, which he would be in these circumstances.”

Portsmouth have four players at the tournament and club spokesman Gary Double said they had sought reassurance from the English Football Association and world governing body Fifa about their players’ security.

“Our players’ safety is paramount and if that can’t be guaranteed the players should be sent home,” he said.

Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor said Premier League clubs should not be able to dictate whether their players were sent home.

He told BBC Radio 5 live: “Bearing in mind what has happened, for English clubs to expect players to come home from any other team apart from Togo would be too far.

“It’s a decision to be taken by the clubs but that could be in conflict with the African Confederation and Fifa and that is the dilemma of the day, not just in sport, but in many other issues regarding terrorism.

“Do we try to continue life as normally as possible in order to win on the day?

“We need to know the whole circumstances and have a proper inquiry, but you can understand clubs asking for players to come home after such an incident.

“Remember, the driver was killed and the players were under gunfire for half an hour. It doesn’t get any more serious than that.

“Clubs release their players under Fifa regulations but they have every right to expect that the security issues and safety is going to be paramount and if that is not the case, they have a serious reason to withdraw them.

In other related news, the English Premier League club Manchester City announced that their Togolese star Emmanuel Adebayor had already left Angola.

P/S: Togo government tells team to quit Cup of Nations. Togo’s footballers are being recalled from the Africa Cup of Nations by their government following a deadly attack on the team’s bus in Angola.

Source: Worldcupblog