Seven Eritrean Players Go Missing In South Africa After AFCON Qualification Feat

Seven Eritrean Players Go Missing In South Africa After AFCON Qualification Feat

Sampson Adedeji 

Seven players from the Eritrean national team have reportedly gone missing in South Africa after refusing to return home following their historic qualification for the group stage of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The development comes shortly after Eritrea secured a 4-1 aggregate victory over Eswatini, a result that saw the East African nation advance to the group stage of the qualifiers for the first time in 19 years.

According to reports, only three of the ten locally-based players who travelled for the encounter have returned to Eritrea.

 The players who made the trip back home are Ablelom Teklezgi, Nahom Tadese, and Romel Abdu, while the remaining seven players are believed to have absconded while still in South Africa.

The incident has sparked fresh concerns over recurring cases of athletes from Eritrea seeking to remain abroad during international engagements, often citing personal and political reasons.

Eritrea’s progression to the group stage had been celebrated as a major milestone for the country’s football development, making the sudden disappearance of the players a significant setback for the team.