Football in Eritrea

After being under Ethiopian control, Eritrea gained its independence in 1991[1] and in 1998 the country became a member of FIFA.

It was later used by the GS Asmara, the team winner of the first professional football championships in Eritrea with the Asmara-born Luciano Vassalo.

These Eritrean team champions were "Hamassien, "Akale Guzay", "Tele S.C.", "GS Asmara" and "Embassoyra": Two of the most famous Eritrean footballers in Eritrean History football, Luciano Vassalo and his brother Italo, played for the Ethiopia national football team (because Eritrea was annexed to Ethiopia in those years) in the qualifying rounds for the 1962 FIFA World Cup[9] and won the 1962 African Cup of Nations (when Ethiopia obtained their only international trophy to date).

After Ethiopia illegally annexed Eritrea the Football Federation had to go to back where it was during the Italian rule.

In recent years -because of dire economic and socio-political reasons- there have been many refugees leaving Eritrea and some football athletes travelling to competitions abroad have taken the opportunity to abscond.

Indeed nine players and the national Eritrean team's coach disappeared in Kenya in December 2013.