AFCON Qualifier

  Seven players from the Eritrea national football team have failed to return home after their side secured a historic victory over Eswatini national football team. A source close to the squad told the BCC on Monday that while part of the team travelled back via South Africa after the match, the seven players are believed to have absconded. The development comes shortly after Eritrea’s 2–1 win in Eswatini, which secured a 4–1 aggregate victory and a return to the qualifying group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 19 years. Sources said only 10 members of the 24-man squad were based in Eritrea, and just three of those players—including team captain Ablelom Teklezghi—have returned to the country. Although the whereabouts of the missing players remain unclear, reports indicate that some may have been seen in South Africa. Among those who failed to return are goalkeeper Kubrom Solomon and veteran winger Medhanie Redie. The incident has cast a shadow over what had been a celebrated achievement for the team, with Eritrea’s state-owned media remaining largely silent on their return. Sources said plans for a reception to welcome the victorious squad were cancelled following news of the players’ disappearance. Images shared by officials showed some players and staff being received by embassy representatives and members of the Eritrean community in Cairo, Egypt, during a stopover. However, only those who later travelled on to Asmara were present. The situation reflects a broader pattern involving Eritrean athletes, with several previous cases of players failing to return home after international competitions. In 2019, seven players from the Eritrean under-20 team went missing after a regional tournament in Uganda. In 2015, 10 senior players refused to return following a World Cup qualifier in Botswana. Earlier incidents include 15 players and a team doctor granted asylum in Uganda in 2013, and in 2009, nearly the entire senior team failed to return from a trip to Kenya.