Seven Eritrean international footballers miss return after historic Eswatini win

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Seven Eritrean football players who helped the national team secure a historic victory in Eswatini last week have failed to return home, a source close to the squad told the BBC.

The players left after matches in Eswatini, but while some teammates flew back via South Africa, the seven are understood to have absconded.

Eritrea’s team had been celebrating a return to the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group stages for the first time in 19 years, following a 2-1 win in Eswatini and a 4-1 aggregate score.

However, sources in Asmara said only 10 of the 24-man squad were based in Eritrea to begin with, and just three of those players—including captain Ablelom Teklezghi—have now returned.

While it remains unclear where the missing players have gone, reports suggest some have been seen in South Africa. Those named among the absconders include goalkeeper Kubrom Solomon and veteran winger Medhanie Redie, underscoring concerns that the case could affect preparations around the team’s next steps.

Eritrea’s state-owned media has been unusually quiet about the squad’s return, contrasting with the big fanfare that typically accompanies such successes. Sources say preparations for a similar reception were underway but were cancelled after news of the players’ disappearance emerged.

The development also follows a pattern of similar incidents involving Eritrean athletes in recent years, according to rights groups and reporting by the BBC.

Rights groups have described the government in Asmara as highly repressive, a charge the authorities reject, and Eritrea has a history of large numbers of people seeking asylum abroad, including athletes who do not return after international fixtures.