Togo's request to return to play at the Africa Cup of Nations has been turned down by the tournament organisers.

The squad flew home on Sunday in the wake of Friday's gun attack, which killed three people.

The country's sports minister then lobbied the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to allow the team to take part after three days of mourning.

But Caf, which initially wanted Togo to remain in Angola, gave no reason for its decision to exclude them.

After being keen to go home in the immediate aftermath of the attack, the Togo players decided they wished to stay following a team meeting before finally being convinced by their national authorities to take a flight to the Togolese capital of Lome on Sunday night.

As he boarded a plane in Cabinda, Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor said: "We have to mourn our dead. We go back home to do this."

Despite the postponement of the side's opening match of the competition against Ghana in the northern enclave of Cabinda on Monday evening, Togo sports minister Christophe Padumhokou Tchao still believed it is was possible that they could rejoin the tournament.

"The players are leaving with the bodies of their fallen brothers and we have asked the Confederation of African Football to find an arrangement so we can catch up with the competition later," he stated.

The BBC's Russell Fuller in the Angolan capital of Luanda said that the decision seemed to be based on politics rather than practicalities.

"The politics of African football are quite extraordinary. Maybe Caf want to be seen as being in control of things, but it would not have been logistically impossible," he told Radio 5 live.

"It might have meant that the last group matches could not have been played simultaneously. It may have been that the television schedules would have to change or that the players played more often than they are used to.

"But in these circumstances I don't think any of these obstacles would have been insurmountable.

"It would be foolish to say that Caf will not change its mind but having released this statement it has not left itself much wriggle room."

Angolan state media reported on Monday morning that two unidentified suspects had been arrested over the attack which took place as Togo's convoy crossed from the Republic of Congo into Cabinda.

An assistant coach, press officer and bus driver were killed while several other players were injured.

A faction of the separatist group, Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, has claimed responsibility for the 30-minute attack.

Togo's government insisted its players return home from the tournament because of security fears but reports claimed negotiations were ongoing throughout Sunday.

But as the opening match between Angola and Mali kicked off at 1900 GMT, the Togo team were heading for the airport and their flight to Lome took off at 2040.

In the tournament's opening ceremony in Luanda, Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos condemned the attack and a minute's silence was observed before the first match.

Angola were 4-0 up with 11 minutes to go but Mali fought back to clinch a 4-4 draw.

However, following further consultations with Togo government officials, Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor, who plays for Premier League side Manchester City, accepted the authorities' wishes.

He said: "This Friday at 1430, we were all dead on that bus. We sent our last messages to our families. We called our family to say our last words. I told myself: 'If you're still there on the ground in Angola, why not [play]?'

"The authorities decided we should return [home], so we will return."

Adebayor also revealed he spoke to members of the Ivory Coast and Ghana camps and agreed with their own decisions to remain in the competition.

"They expressed their support by saying they were ready to leave the competition if we did," revealed Adebayor.

"[But] at the end of the day, we realised that they were ready to continue. It is still a continent where a World Cup will take place in South Africa.

"If we speak of the dead, the competition should have been cancelled but the Confederation of African Football has decided otherwise.

"We're going back and we wish good luck to those who will remain, especially to Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Ghana.

"What I have told their leaders is that they may be attacked at any time in Cabinda. I hope they will be cautious."

Team-mate Thomas Dossevi said part of the players' motivation for wanting to stay was to honour those killed and French paper L'Equipe quoted another player, Alaixys Romao, as saying the team would not "leave like cowards".

Earlier on Sunday, Togo prime minister Gilbert Houngbo said while he understood the feelings of the players and believed the competition should go ahead, the government stood by its decision to call the team back to Togo.

"We took into account their last-minute change of mind," Houngbo told the BBC. "Up to midnight last night, they were all unanimous that they wanted to come back.

"After the delegation that we sent to visit them left, then they had another meeting and all of a sudden they changed their mind and we do respect that.

"But we explained to them through their captain Adebayor that in memory of those who had lost their lives, we also need to take into account what the families also think is the best way to pay tribute to them."

Houngbo also criticised Caf, claiming it had not given Togo any information to assess the security situation after the attack.

"So far we did not even have a single call, even a call of sympathy, from Caf," he stated.

"We do not even have information that will allow us to have an assessment from a security standpoint, taking into account what has happened."

The Togolese government has demanded Angola explain why it was not warned of the dangers of travel in Cabinda, where the bus was ambushed.

Angolan officials had earlier expressed surprise that the team had travelled there by road from their base in the Republic of Congo.

Caf had previously stated that it understood Togo's initial decision to withdraw but that the six other matches scheduled to be played in Cabinda would go ahead.

And Caf president Issa Hayatou said he had received a guarantee from the Angolan government that security would be increased for all teams and at all venues.

Togolese officials revealed the driver had died at the scene, while media officer Stanislas Ocloo and assistant coach Amalete Abalo died later in hospital.

Reserve goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale, who was shot twice, was flown to a hospital in South Africa and remains in a critical but stable condition.