President Mills pleads for Togo

By K.N.S Mensah, Goal.com

President John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana has made a passionate appeal to the Confederation of Africa Football boss Issa Hayatou to lift the two-tournament Nations Cup ban on Togo.

“At the last meeting of ECOWAS heads of States, we made an appeal to CAF to reconsider the punishment that had been imposed on Togo and I’m not aware whether any response has been given to our appeal,” he told Hayatou at the seat of government on Wednesday.

“If not I will want to renew on a personal basis my appeal to you to re-consider the sanctions imposed on Togo and Ghana will support CAF in all your initiatives.

“I want to assure you that you will make CAF proud during the World Cup in South Africa.”

Togo were punished from playing in two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations after they pulled out of the last tournament in Angola following a gun attack on their team bus at the Cabinda enclave.

A bus driver, the team’s assistant manager Abalo Amelete, and media officer Stanislas Ocloo were killed, with several others injured.

President Mills hopes CAF will reverse their decision and re-admit their West African neighbours.

Ghana will host the 2009 Glo-CAF Awards on Thursday, March 11 at the State House in Accra.