Togo's request to return to play at the Africa Cup of Nations has been turned down by the tournament organisers.

The Togo squad flew home on Sunday following Friday's gun attack, which left three people dead. The country's sports minister then approached the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to allow the team to take part after three days of mourning, but this request has been turned down by Caf who are yet to give a reason for its decision.

The Togo players changed their minds following a team meeting, after initially being keen to go home following the attack. However, national authorities intervened and ordered the players to take a flight to the Togolese capital of Lome on Sunday night. As he boarded a plane in Cabinda, Togo captain Emmanuel Adebayor said: "We have to mourn our dead. We go back home to do this."

Despite the postponement of the side's opening match of the competition against Ghana in the northern enclave of Cabinda on Monday evening, Togo sports minister Christophe Padumhokou Tchao still believed Togo could rejoin the tournament. "The players are leaving with the bodies of their fallen brothers and we have asked the Confederation of African Football to find an arrangement so we can catch up with the competition later," he stated.

Angolan state media reported on Monday morning that two unidentified suspects had been arrested over the attack which took place as Togo's convoy crossed from the Republic of Congo into Cabinda. A faction of the separatist group, Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, has claimed responsibility for the attack.