Togo?s African Cup of Nations campaign was ended in a hail of bullets, shattered glass and pools of blood, but instead of offering their support to one of their members, CAF has chosen to punish them by banning the team from the next two tournaments.

Togo, you will remember, pulled out of the tournament after being attacked by a terrorist group in Cabinda. Not because the players wanted to, but because their government ordered them to do so.

Not only were they attacked, but now they are being punished for it.

"The decision by political authorities contravenes CAF and African Nations Cup regulations. The executive committee therefore has banned Togo from the next two African Nations Cups and fined the Togo FA 50 000 U.S. dollars," read the CAF statement explaining their decision.

CAF chief press officer Suleiman Habuba said the decision was based on article 78 of CAF regulations which says: "A forfeit notified less than 20 days before the start or during the final competition shall entail, in addition of the forfeit of the entry fee, a maximum fine stipulated by the regulations as well as the suspension of the concerned national association for the following two editions of the African Cup of Nations."

What Habuba does not reveal, however, is that Article 80 will tolerate withdrawals 'in cases of force majeure accepted by CAF'. ?Force majeure? allows for an extraordinary event or circumstance, which, I think any reasonable person will agree, is what happened to Togo.

"The executive committee and CAF repeat their profound sympathy to the families of the victims of the tragic attack. CAF has condemned the attack and denounced the act of terrorism," the statement went on to read.

Well gee, the sympathy is great, but it doesn?t seem very genuine when you follow it up with a blanket ban and a fine. The Togo players must be wondering why they are being punished ? after all, they were the ones being shot at!

Togo?s assistant coach and press officer were killed in the attack, the remainder of the squad was left traumatised, and now they are being punished by the people that were supposed to have ensured their safety in the first place. The governing body should never have allowed games in Cabinda to go ahead, knowing full well the region?s history of separatist violence.

By doing so, they ignored all the warning signs and opened the door for an act of violence, which was duly walked through. Togo?s decision to withdraw from the tournament was due to extenuating circumstances and should have been viewed as such.

If the team had refused to play for less plausible reasons, say a player strike, then I could understand CAF?s decision, but as it is, African football?s ruling body is showing itself to be a ruthless, insensitive and unbelievably inept in their governance of the game on the continent.

As I write this, Togo?s reserve goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale is lying in a Johannesburg hospital with a bullet lodged near his spine. Imagine how he will feel when he hears about the ban.

CAF?s role is to protect and promote the growth of African football, which incidentally they claim to be doing by following tournament regulations to the letter, but by banning Togo they are doing the exact opposite.

If anybody is to be punished it should be Angola for failing to ensure the safety of the Togo team.

The Togo players were let down by the organisers of the tournament and by CAF when they were sent into a warzone to play football and now salt is being rubbed in the wounds.