Cecafa trip is clearly always ‘emigration’ ticket for Eritrean footballers

IT IS of no need treating as catastrophic the disappearance of Eritrean footballers from their country once they get a chance to leave to play in the regional Cecafa [Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations] tournament.They do that in droves every time their team travels.Last year, almost an entire squad took off and mingled with the residents of Kampala, Uganda. The previous year it was in Dar es Salaam and the last time the team was in Nairobi, many were left behind and only a trickle travelled back to Asmara.This time, two Eritrean players have vanished in Nairobi even when the team still had two Group ‘C’ preliminary matches to play.It happens all the timeEven though other Cecafa members find the situation alarming every time it happens, Eritrean officials appear calm. Often, the leaders of the Eritrean Football Federation are high-placed men in the Eritrea Government; some very senior in the military. All young people in Eritrea serve long stints in the military service.It is therefore regarded that the Government delegates condone the practice; in other words, they “look the other way” and do not deter sportsmen from seeking green pastures outside their young nation — independent only from 1991.This time, the Eritrean squad is led by their football association President, Tesfaye Gebryesus, a man who complained that players deserted the team the last time he led it in Tanzania.Vanished after trainingNicholas Musonye, the Secretary General of Cecafa confirmed the latest “traditional” disappearance of the Eritrean players.The Eritreans did not give the names; and how then do they know there were two men missing?“I am only told they vanished after training yesterday,” said Musonye.The Federation Kenya Football (FKF) national executive committee member, Elly Mukolwe told the Cecafa organising committee this morning of the disappearance of the Eritreans. The committee was chaired by Abdi Qani Said Arab of Somalia and attended by other Cecafa members.Last year during the Challenge Cup in Kampala, Uganda, 17 Eritrean players also vanished including the team doctor.They later appeared at the office of the Commissioner for Refugees in the Office of the Prime Minister seeking asylum. In the last five years Eritrean players have had a habit of disappearing from their country during Cecafa organised tournaments.

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Cecafa trip is clearly always ‘emigration’ ticket for Eritrean footballers