Eritrea Football Players Abscond After AFCON Qualifier Win

Eritrea's national football team secured a significant 2-0 victory against Eswatini in the second leg of their AFCON 2027 qualifier, resulting in a 4-1 aggregate win. This triumph marks Eritrea's advancement to the main AFCON qualifying round for the first time in 19 years.

However, the achievement was overshadowed by the disappearance of several players, confirmed by head coach Hesham Yakan. Reports indicate that a large number of players, particularly those based locally, went missing during their transit in South Africa while returning to Eritrea.

Among the absconding players are goalkeeper Kubrom Solomon and veteran forward Medhani Redi. This incident is part of a troubling trend, as Eritrean athletes have previously absconded during international assignments in search of asylum abroad, similar to cases reported in countries like Kenya, Botswana, and Uganda.