Eritrea’s participation in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers is in doubt after seven out of 10 local soccer players disappeared after last month’s victory in Eswatini.
The players went missing after Eritrea’s 4-1 aggregate victory over Eswatini on March 31. As a result, Eritrea secured a spot in the continent’s highlight group stage qualifiers.
Of the 24 members who took part in the qualifiers, only 10 were locally based players, and only three of them returned.
Seven players are believed to have gone missing when the national team arrived in South Africa en route from Eswatini to Eritrea via Egypt, a Confederation of African Football (CAF) official told AFP news agency.
“This incident is shrouded in mystery. Eritrea defeated Eswatini in Lobamba on March 31, but no one seems to be sure what happened after that,” he said.
“All the players are believed to have left Eswatini for South Africa. However, by the time the expedition arrived in Cairo, seven players were missing.”
Egypt’s 1990 World Cup defender Hesham Yakan, who was recently appointed as Eritrea’s manager, has selected 24 players, including 14 based abroad, for the second-division qualifier against Eswatini.
His selections included Eritreans based in Australia, Egypt, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, and Sweden.
Ali Suleiman of Egypt’s top team, Ismailia Electric Club, scored three goals, and Eritrea won 2-0 and 2-1, earning them a spot in the final qualifying round consisting of 12 groups of four teams.
The first leg against Eswatini was played in Meknes, Morocco, as Eritrea does not have an international standard stadium.
This was the first Nations Cup match involving Eritrea since 2007. Eritrea then participated in three World Cup qualifiers and several regional tournaments.
The seven players reportedly missing include goalkeepers Kiblom Solomon and Awet Mahalena, and defenders Wedeb Fesehai, Yosif Tsegay and Nahum Awet.
Veteran midfielder Medhane Reddy and striker Amanuel Benhar are other defectors, joining dozens of Eritrean footballers who have abandoned the national team while in other African states.
Returning to Asmara were captain Ablerom Teklezgui, fellow midfielder Nahum Tadese and striker Romelu Abdou.
The win against Eswatini was an unexpected success for lowly Eritrea, considering they had not played an international match in six years.
As a result, they will be entered into the group stage qualifying draw along with the other five winners of the qualifying rounds. They will join Africa’s top 42 teams, who will be divided into 12 groups of four teams each.
Group qualifiers will be held from September to November to determine the teams that will participate in the 2027 Nations Cup main tournament to be held in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
History of player defections
Players from Eritrea’s senior and junior national teams frequently disappeared while traveling abroad and sought asylum.
In 2007, players and other team members defected after games and tournaments in Angola. Kenya in 2009. Tanzania in 2011. Uganda in 2012. Botswana in 2015 after World Cup qualifying. Then, in 2019, he returned to Uganda.
The United Nations estimates that around 80 Eritrean football personnel, including players, coaches and officials, have fled into exile over the past two decades.
The main reason for defecting from the East African country is indefinite military service after completing schooling.
Eritrea has been ruled by President Isaias Afwerki since gaining independence from Ethiopia in 1993, and human rights groups have consistently described his rule as “highly repressive.”
During a state visit to Kenya three years ago, Afwerki called such allegations “fantasy.”
Eritrea had not allowed the team to travel abroad since members of its under-20 team defected to Uganda in 2019, but changed its mind when it participated in the 2027 Nations Cup.
A further sign that Eritrea is emerging from its self-imposed isolation came in February when football federation president Paulos Weldeheimanot Andemariam was elected president of the East and Central African Football Association Council, a long-standing regional body that organizes club and junior competitions.
But after the embarrassment of player departures, that may now be hanging in the balance.
George Gebreslassie, an Eritrean exile who runs a nonprofit organization that helps Eritrean refugees, said the disappearances highlighted the dire situation in the country.
“This shows what kind of situation we are in Eritrea. We thought the situation would change, but nothing has changed,” he told Reuters.
