Justino Fernandes, the director of the Africa Cup of Nations Organizing Committee, has criticized the Togo national team -- which pulled out of the tournament after its bus was machine-gunned upon entering tournament host country Angola -- for not coming by plane.

An assistant coach and a press officer with the Togo team died and others were injured in the attack by separatists. The bus was escorted by Angolan police but Fernandes said, "The teams should travel by plane. Togo did their training camp in Congo and from there, under their decision, traveled to Cabinda by bus.

"Both the [African soccer] confederation and the Organizing Committee in Luanda were not aware of the situation. If we had been informed, we would certainly have provided them with an airplane, from Pointe Noire, Congo, to the province of Cabinda. We had no idea that Togo would be traveling by road from Congo to Cabinda."

 

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