Seven members of Eritrea’s football team remain in Eswatini seeking asylum after a regional qualifier last month, officials said Sunday.
The players and officials had travelled for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier played on March 31 against Eswatini in a qualifier.
Several of the 24-member squad are believed to have absconded, leaving only a fraction returning to Eritrea afterwards still unclear.
Only three locally based players reportedly returned home via South Africa and Egypt, according to a CAF official this week.
Eswatini police confirmed that three players and four officials have reported themselves at Lobamba police station authorities said Sunday AFP.
Police said reporting to authorities is the first step for anyone seeking asylum in the kingdom officials explained further today.
The office of the Commissioner of Refugees confirmed written asylum applications from seven Eritrean nationals an official said Sunday today.
An Eswatini Football Association official said the group is being housed at a sports facility in Lobamba near Mbabane city.
Sources said some players want asylum to avoid compulsory military service fearing indefinite national conscription at home according anonymous reports.
A journalist who covered the match said players privately insisted they would not return to Eritrea for personal safety reasons.
Eritrea has long faced criticism over indefinite national service policies that have driven many citizens to flee abroad internationally condemned.
United Nations estimates say about 80 Eritreans in football roles have defected over the past two decades according official data.