LUANDA, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen opened fire on the coach carrying Togo's national football team to the African Nations Cup in Angola Friday, killing the driver and wounding nine others, including two players, a Togo official said.

The bus had just entered Cabinda province in northwest Angola when it came under heavy gunfire for several minutes, Winny Dogbatse, a senior Togo official was quoted by the Reuters as saying.

"The response from the (police) escort meant the damage was limited and there are now nine injured people in hospital," he said.

The tournament is expected to kick off Sunday and run until Jan. 31. Togo was due to play Ghana on Monday, one of six group matches.

The separatist group the Front for the Liberation of Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

But Antonio Bento Bembe, the Angolan minister in charge of affairs in Cabinda, said it was not the work of FLEC rebels. "FLEC no longer exists, the attack comes from certain individuals who want to cause problems for us," he told the Reuters.

He called the attack "an act of terrorism."

The Confederation of African Football said Friday the tournament will open on Sunday as scheduled.