The moment Mewael Yosief had been waiting for all his life came a few hours after what should have been the pinnacle of his young football career. Two goals and a man-of-the-match display from the tall midfielder in Eritrea’s 5-0 victory over Zanzibar on 29 September 2019, which set up a Cecafa Under-20 Challenge Cup semi-final against the east African heavyweights Kenya, was hailed by a tweet from Yemane Gebremeskel, the country’s minister of information, praising his performance.
But as the government officials staying with the squad at their hotel in Uganda toasted their victory and the coach’s prediction that they could even go on to win the tournament for the first time, Yosief and his teammates Simon Asmelash, Hermon Yohannes and Hanibal Tekle seized their opportunity.
Written by Ed Aarons and Alex Cizmic
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jan/10/eritrea-footballers-on-the-run-death-kidnap-asylum-hiding-uganda under the title “‘If they find us it’s death or kidnap’: the Eritrean footballers on the run”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
