'Haunted' Adebayor quits Togo over shooting

Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor said he was 'still haunted' by his team-mates'murders in January (GETTY IMAGES)

The Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor announced his retirement from international football yesterday, saying he was "still haunted" by the deadly attack on his team at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Gunmen killed an assistant coach and team spokesman in the attack in Angola on 8 January, two days before the start of the tournament. Adebayor was subsequently furious that Togo were suspended for the next two Cup of Nations tournaments as punishment for withdrawing from the competition.

"Following the tragic events during January's Africa Cup of Nations, I have made the very difficult decision to retire from international football," Adebayor said in a statement released by his club 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.

"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."

"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," he added. "I have enormous belief in each and every one of them."