Seven Eritrean Players Vanish Following AFCON Qualifying Victory Over Eswatini

A source connected to the Eritrean national football team captured the situation perfectly: "These players are poor. It was their first time flying." This statement reveals the sobering reality behind the disappearance of seven players after Eritrea's AFCON qualifying victory against Eswatini on March 31.

Seven squad members — the majority of them bench players — went missing in the aftermath of the match. Head coach Hesham Yakan acknowledged the situation to Reuters, expressing doubt that any of them will return to professional football.

"I do not think they will continue playing football," stated Yakan, who believes the players have fled in search of better economic prospects in more prosperous nations. Considering the circumstances they left behind, their decision comes as little surprise.

A nation with severe travel restrictions

This marks Eritrea's first participation in AFCON qualification since 2008. The East African nation had implemented a complete travel ban on its national teams following an incident in 2019 when several under-20 players sought asylum in Uganda. History has now repeated itself, this time involving senior international players and on a more significant scale.

The squad already featured players residing in Australia, Germany, Norway, and Sweden — members of the diaspora who returned to play for a homeland many had previously departed. Due to Eritrea lacking a venue that satisfies CAF's international match standards, the first leg took place in Morocco. Despite securing a commanding 4-1 aggregate victory, seven players subsequently vanished.

George Ghebreslassie, an Eritrean exile who operates a refugee support organization, expressed little shock at the news. "It happens quite a lot," he explained. "It shows the kind of situation we have in Eritrea. We thought things would change, but nothing has changed. People have become hopeless in their own country."

Impact on Eritrea's tournament prospects

Eritrea's Minister of Information has refused to provide any statement. The national football federation has similarly remained silent. Yakan — a former Egyptian international who competed at the 1990 FIFA World Cup — now faces the challenge of managing a depleted squad.

The nation has remained under President Isaias Afwerki's control since gaining independence in 1993. International human rights organizations have repeatedly characterized his administration as among the continent's most authoritarian. This background doesn't make the players' disappearances unexpected — it makes them almost predictable.

Despite these challenges, Eritrea successfully advanced from their qualifying group. Whether the federation can maintain squad cohesion for the next phase remains uncertain, with officials unwilling to address the issue publicly.