Lome, Togo (PANA) - Togolese national football players and fans have expressed misgivings about the preparations of the "Hawks" for the African Cup of Nations (CAN 2006) finals to be staged in Egypt from 20 January to 10 February.

According to soccer lovers in Lome, the first shortfall lies in the failure to announce the names of 23 players who will defend the national colours during the continental soccer bonanza.

Meanwhile, the Togolese national football team, supposed to have entered residential training at Sfax in Tunisia on 26 December, is still in Lome, while no official has explained the delay.

According to a programme released by the Togolese Football Federation (FTF), the "Hawks", as the team is popularly known, is supposed to play a trial match against Tunisia and another against Libya before returning to Lome on 15 January. The team leaves for Egypt on 17 January at the latest.

"But this programme has been put aside and the players who flew in from Europe are roaming in Lome like tourists without knowing where to go for residential training, or about the programme in general," complained a die-hard soccer fan interviewed by PANA during a training session here.

Due to the prevailing confusion, the "Hawks" goalkeeper, Agassa Kossi, who plays professional soccer with FC Metz, has flown back to France to await a concrete programme.

In a television programme last Saturday, striker Emmanuel Shéyi Adébayor, of AS Monaco, a first division French club, denounced what he termed as "lack of seriousness in the preparations."

He urged FTF officials "to change their behaviour if they want an effective team."