BEEAFRICAN.COM 2012 African Cup Of Nations

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) insists it was right to ban Togo from the next two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments despite widespread criticism of the decision.

Caf also lashed out at what it called "the press campaign aimed at tarnishing the image of high personalities of the hierarchy of African football."

Togo were banned from the next two editions tournaments and fined $50,000 for withdrawing from the event in Angola.

They withdrew after a gun attack on their party killed two people and injured several others, on the insistence of the Togolese government. Caf said the Togolese players had wanted to stay, and therefore the decision to pull them out amounted to "government interference".

The Caf ruling has been widely condemned in various circles including governments, footballers and fans while protests were held in Lome against the ban. But after an executive committee meeting in Lubumbashi, Caf insists that its decision to ban the Hawks is backed by their regulations.

"The suspension of Togo for the next two Africa Cups of Nations is a decision unanimously arrived at by the entire Executive Committee," a Caf executive committee statement read.

The suspension of Togo for the next two Africa Cups of Nations is a decision unanimously arrived at by the entire Executive Committee     Caf executive committee

"The decision was taken on the basis of the regulations of the competition and the statutes of Caf."

In the wake of the ban, protesters in the Togolese capital Lome called for Issa Hayatou to resign while a section of the media blamed the Cameroonian administrator for the decision.

But Caf's executive committee heaped praise on its leader insisting that he is the right man to lead the continental body. "The Caf executive committee strongly and officially congratulates President Issa Hayatou and reiterates to him its total confidence," the statement said.

"He has our constant support and encouragement for him to pursue the ambitious and laudable projects for the development of African football." The continental football governing body revealed that the authorities in the west African country rejected a delegation from Caf to attend the funeral of the two deceased team officials in Lome.

Source: BBC Sport