Gunmen fire at football team's bus

Reserve goalkeeper Obilale Kossi and central defender Serge Akakpo were among those hurt, said Togolese football federation vice president Gabriel Ameyi.

The team's top player, Emmanuel Adebayor, was unharmed, according to his club Manchester City.

The team were travelling to Angola for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

"They should not have travelled by road," Mr Ameyi said. "They did not tell CAF (Confederation of African Football) that they were travelling by road. They should have flown to Angola."

The 16-team African championship starts tomorrow in the Cabinda region of Angola, with Togo's Sparrow Hawks due to play their opening match on Monday against Ghana.

The team had just crossed the border into Angola when the bus came under fire. The injured Togolese were taken to hospital in Cabinda.

"We were machine-gunned like dogs," said Togo striker Thomas Dossevi, who plays for French club Nantes. "They were armed to the teeth... We spent 20 minutes underneath the seats of the bus."

The team's participation in the tournament is now in doubt and Premier League clubs were last night reported to be preparing to bring their African stars home if assurances could not be provided over their safety

Manchester City, whose star striker Emmanuel Adebayor was not harmed in the attack, and Portsmouth have contacted the Football Association, asking them to speak to football's world governing body to ensure players' safety can be guaranteed, and calling for them to be sent home if it cannot.

A spokesman for Portsmouth, who have a number of players away on African Nations Cup duty, said: "We will be asking the FA to talk to FIFA to ensure the players' safety. That is paramount, and if the players' safety can't be ensured, then the players should be sent home."

Manchester City released a statement relating to Adebayor, which read: "Club officials have spoken with Adebayor and, though shaken by the terrible events, he is unharmed.

"The club would like to send its condolences to the family of the driver and sends best wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.

"We are currently in talks with the Football Association over what may happen next."

Angola has been struggling to reinvent itself after the end of its 27-year Civil War in 2002, but the Africa Cup of Nations was a chance for the government to show the world that the country was on its way to recovery. Oil wealth had funded new stadiums in Cabinda and three other cities for the tournament.

Before his departure for the tournament, Adebayor was asked whether he had any reservations about playing in the politically unstable Cabinda region.

The former Arsenal forward said: "We were born in Africa so we know what it's about. Some people might be afraid which is normal, I can understand that. But I'm going back to Africa, to one of the countries on my continent, and I'm prepared for Cabinda. I will enjoy myself."