Togo Soccer Players Banned from Cup

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has banned the Togo team from two African Cups of Nations and fined them $50,000 for withdrawing from this year’s competition after two players and a driver were killed when gunmen fired on the team bus. The incident happened two days before the tournament as the bus was crossing into Angola from Congo. The Togolese government called the team back for three days of mourning, which CAF deemed government interference in the tournament and therefore doled out the punishment. "We are a group of footballers who came under fire and now we can't play football anymore. They are crushing us," a player who was on the bus said. Families of those killed are taking action against CAF and Angola, arguing the competition should not have been held in a war zone. The separatist group the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has been fighting the Angolan government for 30 years.