CECAFA Women's U20: 5 Eritrea Players Taking Part in Tournament Disappear From Hotel in Uganda

• Authorities in Uganda are investigating circumstances under which five Eritrea players disappeared from camp
• The players were taking part in the ongoing CECAFA Women's U20 Championships
• Eritrea has already lost two of their opening matches of the competition against Tanzania and Ethiopia

Police in Uganda has launched a hunt for five Eritrea players who disappeared from a Jinja hotel under unclear circumstances.

Eritrea is among the six countries taking part in the ongoing CECAFA Women's U20 Championship tournament which kicked off at the end of October.

However, the team's preparations for the tournament have been plunged into disarray after five of its members went missing from camp.

The incident was confirmed by CECAFA who revealed police have already initiated an operation to track down the players.

“The matter has been reported to the Police in Jinja and investigations are ongoing," CECAFA said in a statement.

"CECAFA, FUFA, and the Police are doing their best to locate these players,” the statement added.

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Football

Eritrea is scheduled to take on hosts Uganda on Wednesday, November 3, in their third match of the competition.

The team has endured a difficult start to the tourney, losing two of their opening matches against Tanzania and Ethiopia who thrashed them 5-0.

Cases of Eritrea players disappearing

Cases of sportspersons from Eritrea taking part in different competitions disappearing in foreign countries are not new.

Back in 2012, 14 members of the Eritrea football team went missing while participating in the same tournament staged in Uganda.

The most recent of such incidences happened in December 2019 when seven Eritrean players taking part in CECAFA Men’s Senior Challenge Cup in Uganda also disappeared after the competition.

Eritrea had enjoyed a decent campaign during the regional showpiece, reaching the competition's finals where they lost to hosts Uganda Cranes.

The Red Sea Boys hammered former champions Kenya 4-1 in the semis, to book a date with Uganda in the finals played on Thursday, December 19.

Two months earlier, at least five U-20 players disappeared from their hotel room during a youth tournament in an attempt to seek asylum.