CAF bans Togo from next 2 African Cup of Nations due to political interference

LUANDA, Angola — CAF has suspended Togo from the next two editions of the African Cup of Nations following its withdrawal from this month's tournament. CAF said Saturday it imposed the ban because of political interference in Togo's national federation, which was also fined US$50,000.

"The decision taken by the political authorities is infringing CAF and CAN (African Cup) regulations," CAF said in a statement.

Togo pulled out of the African Cup after its team bus was attacked by gunmen and two members of its delegation were killed two days before the start of the tournament.

CAF said the team, captained by Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor, had initially wanted to stay in the tournament but "the Togolese government decided to call back their national team."

Togo had been placed in Group B alongside Ghana, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. The African Cup has been free of incident since the attack, with Egypt due to play Ghana in the final Sunday.

At a joint news conference with FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday, CAF president Issa Hayatou said it was the correct decision to not call off the tournament.

"We couldn't just cancel everything just like that," Hayatou said. "We had a schedule. It was the right decision. We were able to maintain our satelite coverage."