CAIRO: Egypt boss Hassan Shehata says the Egyptian government is solely entitled to pull the Pharaohs out of the African Cup of Nations (CAN), following the vicious attack on Togo s national team.
The driver of Togo s bus was instantly killed Friday and other delegation members were terribly wounded when gunmen opened fire on the bus in Cabinda.
The death toll rose when assistant coach Abalo Amelete and press officer Stanislas Ocloo were pronounced dead, while L Equipe reported that fringe goalie Kodjovi Obilale also passed away.
Togo have reportedly quitted CAN, and presumably other teams are considering withdrawing from the biennial competition due to security worries.
Quitting the African Cup of Nations is not up to me, the Egyptian government is solely entitled to make such a decision, Shehata told reporters.
We are only concentrating on our opener against Nigeria, and we are not distracted by what happened.
Our main objective is to record a victory over Nigeria. Opening games are always of the utmost importance.
Egypt lie in Group C, which also includes Benin and Mozambique.
