Ten players from the Eritrean football team have refused to return home after playing a World Cup qualifying match in Botswana, and are now seeking asylum in the country, officials say.
The Eritreans had travelled to Botswana to play the return leg of the World Cup qualifier against Botswana, a match they lost to their hosts 3-1.
When the time came to board their plane back for Eritrea, some of the players are reported to have refused to board and were subsequently detained by police.
Eritreais notorious for massive infringements of human rights, with torture and slavery both reported by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry report by the commonplace.
The Eritrean government however insists that those who leave are economic migrants and the reports of human rights violations are unfounded.
