They Take Their Soccer Seriously in Africa

Maybe way too seriously:

Togo have been banned from the next two Africa Cup of Nations following their withdrawal from this year's tournament.

The Confederation of African football (Caf) also fined the Hawks $50,000 for quitting the competition in the wake of a gun attack on the team bus in Angola.

Two members of their delegation and a coach driver were killed in the ambush, which occurred two days before the start of the tournament.

World football governing body Fifa declined to comment on the ban.

However, a statement from CAF read: "The executive committee has banned Togo from the next two African Nations Cup and fined the Togo FA 50,000 U.S. dollars."

A Togolese assistant coach and a press officer died along with the driver following the ambush on their bus in the northern Angolan province of Cabinda on 8 January, prompting the government to recall the team for three days of mourning.

The Hawks initially wanted to compete in Group B with Ivory Coast, Ghana and Burkina Faso, but quit on 10 January - the tournament's start date - on 10 January on their national government's orders.

But African football's governing body says the decision to pull the team out amounted to governmental interference in the sport.

"The players publicly expressed their willingness to return to the Nations Cup to compete. But the Togo government decided to call back their national team," Caf explained in its statement.

"The decision by political authorities contravenes Caf and African Nations Cup regulations."

Wouldn't that be similar to banning the Israelis from the Olympics because a bunch of their team members were killed in the 1972 attack in Munich?

Something seems very wrong about that decision.