Adebayor quits international football after attack - 7M sport

Adebayor quits international football after attack



Posted Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by theguardian.com

Adebayor quits international football after attack
Emmanuel Adebayor during Manchester City's 5-1 Premier League victory over Birmingham City.

Emmanuel Adebayor has retired from international football with Togo after describing himself as "still haunted" by the terrorist attack on the team bus at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Three people were killed – the bus driver, an assistant coach and a press officer – when gunmen fired on the coach in an Angolan exclave, also maiming nine other people. The Manchester City striker described this year as the "worst of my life" and released a statement through the club to announce that the attack had persuaded him to end his international career at 26.

"Following the tragic events during January's African Cup of Nations, in which my fellow countrymen were killed by terrorists in Angola, I have made the very difficult decision to retire from international football," he said. "I have weighed up my feelings in the weeks and months since the attack, and I am still haunted by the events 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."

Adebayor was the African footballer of the year in 2008, the first Togolese player to win the award, and has represented his country 38 times.

He added: "For nine years I have played for the Togo team and despite the events in Angola, I have some very good memories of my international career. I feel very proud to have been trusted with the position of captain of the Togolese football team. Leading your country in international competition is the ultimate honour for any player.

"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. 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."



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