08.04.2026 21:11
Seven players from the national team of the African country Eritrea went missing after an away match. The number of players who have fled while playing for the national team in Eritrea has reached 57 in 17 years.
Seven players from the Eritrean national team, which is in South Africa for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying rounds, have gone missing after leaving the squad.
NO NEWS FROM 7 PLAYERS
According to reports in the South African national press, seven players from the Eritrean national team, which advanced in the 2027 AFCON qualifying round against Eswatini last week, have not been heard from since they left the hotel in Johannesburg, where they were staying to return to their country after the match.
Accordingly, of the 24 players in Eritrea's national team squad, 14 are currently playing for clubs abroad, while only 3 of the 10 players playing in the domestic league have returned to their country.
Among the missing players are goalkeepers Kubrom Solomon and Awet Maharena, defenders Yosief Tsegay, Nahom Awet, Weded Fessehaye, winger Medhanie Redie, and forward Benhur Amanuel.
57 NATIONAL PLAYERS HAVE DESERTED IN THE LAST 17 YEARS
Due to mandatory military service, economic difficulties, and political pressures in Eritrea, the national team's matches played abroad in recent years have been the scene of mass asylum attempts since 2009.
After the CECAFA Cup match played in Kenya in 2009, 12 national players deserted the hotel where the team was staying and applied for asylum.
In a match played in Uganda in 2012, 15 of the 17 players who deserted collectively gained "refugee" status the following year.
For the World Cup qualifiers in 2015, the asylum requests of 10 players from the team in Botswana were also accepted by the court in Gaborone.
In different competitions held in Uganda in 2019 and 2021, a total of 11 players deserted and applied for asylum.
With the recent desertion incident in South Africa, the number of players who have deserted from the Eritrean national team in the last 17 years has risen to 57.