Portsmouth wants its players at the African Cup of Nations recalled
if their safety can't be guaranteed, while Manchester City is also
seeking assurances after the Togo team bus was attacked on Friday.
But English Premier League leader Chelsea, which has four
players at the tournament, said it was confident that competition
organizers could safeguard its players.
City striker Emmanuel Adebayor and Aston Villa midfielder
Moustapha Salifou were on the Togo bus which came under machine gun
fire as it was traveling to the tournament in Angola, though both
players were uninjured.
"I am OK but extremely shocked and very upset," Salifou said.
The club with the greatest concerns over security is
Portsmouth, which has Nwankwo Kanu with Nigeria, Aruna Dindane with
Ivory Coast, and both Nadir Belhadj and Hassan Yebda in the Algeria
squad.
"We have asked the (English) Football Association to ask FIFA
how safe it is and to guarantee the safety of our players,"
Portsmouth spokesman Gary Double told The Associated Press. "Our
players' safety is paramount and if that can't be guaranteed the
players should be sent home."
City, which also has captain Kolo Toure with the Ivory Coast,
said it was "in talks with the Football Association over what may
happen next."
"We are clearly concerned about the situation," City added.
The FA confirmed it was making contact with international
organizations, including FIFA.
"Following the terrible attack on the Togo national team in
Angola, the Football Association is in contact with various English
clubs who have players involved in the African Nations Cup," the FA
said. "We will continue to ensure we are kept up to speed with all
developments and do all we can to assist our clubs and those
players involved."
Chelsea has sent Ivory Coast forwards Didier Drogba and
Salomon Kalou, Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel and Ghana
midfielder Michael Essien to the competition.
"We are sure that the national federations and authorities
are taking every necessary security precautions to ensure the
safety of players and staff," the club said.
