Eritrea's AFCON place in doubt after players disappear in South Africa

"Seven of the ten players that travelled from Eritrea didn't return home after their 4-1 win over Eswatini on March 31. The players went missing after Eritrea completed a 4-1 aggregate triumph over Eswatini, securing them a spot in the group-stage qualifiers for the continental showpiece."

"The seven players are believed to have disappeared when the national team arrived in South Africa en route from Eswatini to Eritrea via Egypt. An official of the Confederation of African Football stated that this incident is a mystery."

"Eritrea's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations preliminaries is in question after the disappearance of the seven players. Only three of the ten locally-based players returned after the match."

"The first leg against Eswatini was staged in the Moroccan city of Meknes because Eritrea does not have an international-standard stadium. This was the first Cup of Nations match involving Eritrea since 2007."

Seven out of ten locally-based Eritrean football players did not return home after a 4-1 victory over Eswatini on March 31. This incident raises questions about Eritrea's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations preliminaries. The players disappeared while traveling from Eswatini to Eritrea via South Africa and Egypt. Only three of the ten local players returned. The team had recently qualified for the group-stage qualifiers, marking their first Cup of Nations match since 2007.

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