Adebayor wants to know truth behind Togo slayings

FORMER Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor says he will only return to the national team if Togo authorities reveal the secrets behind the 2010 Cabinda attack that led to his retirement from international football.

Speaking to French radio RFI last night, the Real Madrid forward affirmed that Togo officials hid so many things about the Angola tragedy from him and the rest of the team.

The 26-year-old former Arsenal player said he needed the truth to be exhumed before he could contemplate an eventual comeback to the Sparrow Hawks.

“I noticed that we had been turning around the issue for so long, and as a captain during the incident, I want to pay a visit to the president of Togo Football Federation (FTF) so he could explain to us and the whole world what really happened. They hid a lot of things from us, we the players,” Adebayor said.

“The biggest question is why did our contingent have to travel by road, when the Confederation of African Football (CAF), according to my investigations, had sent air tickets and had seriously warned our team to connect Cabinda by flight and not by road?

“And why did Togo government never open any investigations after the deadly attack. If they give me a satisfactory explanation, I’d then return to defend the colours of my country, Togo,” he said.

The Togo bus attack took place on January 8, 2010 while the team travelled to Cabinda ahead of the 2010 African Cup of Nations held in Angola.

Three people were killed and nine others injured, including former French club GSI Pontivy goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilalé. Togo withdrew from the competition and were in turn slapped with a CAF ban, which was subsequently lifted.

Consequently, Adebayor decided to retire from the team on April 12, 2010, having scored 23 goals in 36 appearances.