Visit the new AsenaTv Website

https://asenatv.com

ERITREAN FOOTBALLERS SEEK ASYLUM IN BOTSWANA

News coming in from Francistown is that only 14 Eritrean players will be taking their flight home from Gaborone this evening while the other ten have refused and opted to remain in the custody of

News coming in from Francistown is that only 14 Eritrean players will be taking their flight home from Gaborone this evening while the other ten have refused and opted to remain in the custody of Kutlwano Police in Francistown.

The visiting national team which was supposed to have jetted out from Francistown International Airport early this morning, only left by bus with 14 players and officials under heavy police escort to Gaborone, after missing their flight.

The team is scheduled to  board their flight to Johannesburg and eventually transit back to their home country, at around 18hrs20 this evening.

Despite the intervention and persuasion of their Ambassador based in South Africa, who was in the country to watch the World Cup preliminaries match, the disgruntled players refused to go back to their home country.

According to Botswana Football Association Vice President-Administration, Basadi Akoonyatse, the Eritrean players were found missing from their hotel rooms early this morning by the team officials. “A report was made to the police who spotted them loitering around Francistown, alleging that they were in search of a Red Cross centre where they could seek assistance for the NGO to lobby on their behalf to be accorded asylum in Botswana,” she said.

While investigations are still ongoing on why the 10 Eritreans are not happy about going back home, The Voice has established that the distressed men have stated that they are forced to join the Eritrea army, something they don’t fancy as their dream is to play professional football.

Akeonyatse said the players from the Horn of Africa are now in the hands of Immigration, police and security authorities.

“We are yet to establish the reasons the players have declined to go back and whether they are really seeking asylum. It is from hence forth that it will be determined what the next move concerning this issue will be.”

The Red Sea Camels who lost 3-1 to the Zebras last night at the Francistown Sports Complex, were supposed to have been out of Botswana by 4pm today (Wednesday), but due to the disappearance of some of the team members, their travel arrangements had to be rescheduled. “Because we do not have an evening flight from Francistown, we were left with no option but to ferry the 14 players by road to Gaborone,” indicated Akoonyatse.

Meanwhile, Akoonyatse said, the players who have absconded going home are still in the country legally until the expiry of their visas Which are normally valid for a day or two after the game.

Sunday Standard

 

aseye.asena@gmail.com

Review overview
24 COMMENTS
  • combeshetato October 14, 2015

    Good job

    • Suleiman Salim October 14, 2015

      Combi,

      ኣብ ወጻኢ ሰጊሮም ስድራኦም ይሕግዙ ማለትካ ድዩ?

  • Smerrr October 14, 2015

    DIA is humiliated beyond repair. Eritrean would claim asylum everywhere they are sent to indicates the harsh realities on ground in Eritrea. I wonder what the moronic ” nHna nSu, nSu nHna ” fews would say about this news.

  • Berhe Tenesea October 14, 2015

    Welcome to freedom and peace of mind. These was expected, no body with the right mind or family related reason will go back to the Dracula or Tembenino land ces .
    I saw the capital of Botswana and it was magnificent. Many African cities are on the road to progress the exception being Asmara, where electricity, water, and other essential services are non existent.
    In the old days Majority of Ethiopian players were Eritrean who gave that nation glory after glory. Now the players are using soccer as a ticket to freedom, and who will blame them.

    I wish the defectors good lack.

    • Suleiman Salim October 14, 2015

      Berhe Tenesea

      ደቂ ቦትስዋና ንዓኻ ስለ ዝመስሉ ናብኡ ምስ ከድካ ደስታ ተሰሚዑካ ምስዝኽውን ዘገርም ኣይኮነን። ኣብ ቦትስዋና ኤይድስ ግኑን ስለ ዝኾነ ከም ገለ ኢልካ ኣብኡ በዚ ኣዝዩ ቀዛፊን ተማሓላላፊን ዝኾነ ሕማም ተለኺፍካ ከይትኸውን ናብ ቦታኻ ምስ ተመለስካ ቀልጢፍካ ተመርሚርካ ክትክውን ተስፋ ይገብር፥፡

    • Berhe Tenesea October 18, 2015

      As far as AIDS is concerned every one knows how many people are dying of that HIV in Asmara.
      Asmara”s poor women main stay is prostitution,, stealing or begging.
      Asmara under pfdj is a ghost town with broken and rundown infrastructure.
      Please call or go to Asmara and experience hoow smelling the street are becoming.
      Asmara under pfdj is devoid of any public colection of garbage and every where you will may bela like rivers with unbearable stenches.
      Go and see it for yourself and experience to facts first hand, if yoou are real Eritrean or if you are not like Isu from south of the bordser.
      Bye the way do not be afraid of TPPDM, just go they are not the to ask you for meweshawesha in your and your ghoitakha language.

  • NuRusse Suleman October 14, 2015

    Good job our players!
    U have shown the world,that the ugliness of this regime through your courageous act,by sacrificing your profession the fight for change is on on all fronts ,be it: in Geneva, New York,Forto,Libia,Sinai,the borders of neighbors.Eritrean blood is shed.And this is not going to to in vain!!!
    I hope those foreign bread young players take Q with them tell our ppl who live in cofor

  • k.tewolde October 14, 2015

    Is this the reverse migration Tesfa News was talking about? They must live in planet Zubron. Hope the players get a safe transition wherever they are going.

  • NuRusse Suleman October 14, 2015

    Sorry,b 4 I finish my comment,I was interrupted,what I meant is,those foreign grown youngsters thought they were helping the country,but what they don’t know is they making the worst the suffering of our ppl by helping the dictator,now they might understand and convict the NIHNA NUSU ,NUSU NIHNA!!!

  • Teclay October 14, 2015

    Berhe T Said that “In the old days Majority of Ethiopian players were Eritrean who gave that nation glory after glory.”…..እዚ ማለት እታ ሕስምቲ ገዛኢት ኢትዮጵያ ፣ብሓይሊ እናጨፍለቐት ፣ክጻወቱላ ተገድዾም ነይራ ማለት እዩ።ኣየ መግዛእቲ ሑሱም፣ መሶሊኒ ድማ፣ኣብቲ ንሳቶም ዝቕመጡሉ ቦታ ቅልቅል ከይትብሉ ባረዩ(negro) ይብሉና ነበሩ ንሰምዕ።
    እንታይ ኢና እሞ ክንብል ትም እያ።

  • rana October 14, 2015

    You posted a picture of the team that absconded in 2012. if you’re posting an article dont you think you should illustrate the right picture?

  • hp October 14, 2015

    ጤል ዘይትበልዖ ርኢይቶ ወይ ሓሳብ ካብ ምሃብ ተቆጢበ ኣለኹ’ሞ ንዓይ ምሰሉ።

    • AHMED SALEH October 14, 2015

      hp
      Tired to witness revolving cycle that damages the future of our country makes you feel sick , doesn’t it ? Politics is not a game for entertainment like sport , it is about reality which
      effects our life . I second to your frustration on how people reason with psycho-terrorists
      that drove Eritrea loose potential of it’s man power because capable adults couldn’t show courage to get rid the criminal nuts that destroy their lives . SHAME!

      • hp October 15, 2015

        AHMED
        Pleeas don’t worry of me nor consider as poletical or sport man but ordinary peace lover.which any pease lover that worry.

  • baboor October 14, 2015

    What do you do when you are incompetent leader isayas, you flee. Leadership means managing a nation with all its needs. Our incompetent leader doesn’t know how to lead instead he is a war von our own youth. A very sad story.

POST A COMMENT