Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor retired from international football
Monday, saying he is "still haunted" by the deadly attack on his
team at the African Cup of Nations in January.
Gunmen killed an assistant coach and team spokesman in the
Jan. 8 attack in Angola, two days before the start of the
tournament.
Adebayor was subsequently furious that Togo was suspended for
the next two African Cup of Nations tournaments as punishment for
withdrawing from the competition in Angola.
"Following the tragic events during January's African Cup of
Nations, in which two of my fellow countrymen were killed by
terrorists in Angola, I have made the very difficult decision to
retire from international football," Adebayor said in a statement
released by Manchester City. "I have weighed up my feelings in the
weeks and months since the attack, and I am still haunted by the
events which I witnessed on that horrible afternoon on the Togo
team bus.
"We were just footballers going to play a football match and
represent our country, yet we were attacked by people who wanted to
kill us all. It is a moment I will never forget and one I never
want to experience again."
The 26-year-old Adebayor, whose team did not qualify for the
World Cup in South Africa, made his international debut in 2000.
"Togo have some very talented players, and I dearly hope the
players who remain will be able to put their memories of Angola
behind them and go on to be a success for the nation," the former
Arsenal player said. "I have enormous belief in each and every one
of them, players, coaches, staff and their families.
"The people who were on that coach together will forever be
joined by a special bond - we are all brothers. I will always have
the team and the people of Togo close to my heart and wish them
every success in the challenges that they will face in the future."
