Eritrean National team still intact.

     Immediately following the news of the 12 soccer players that decided to stay in Kenya, my e-mails were flooded with questions as to what happened and my answer is “I don’t know” because I am not in Kenya. What I know however is that those genuine Eritreans who asked the question out of concern for their safety and the well-being of Eritreans did so because it is indeed a legitimate concern. Then came those “VULTURES” as I like to call them. Hungry like a wolf, they started to share their joy adding more misery to their lives, by seeing the negative aspect and the idea of 12 players defecting to a place where the standard of living is no better than Eritrea.

Let’s be real, there is no doubt that these players are looking for a key to the western world and like everyone who thinks the grass is greener in the west, they will find out soon the harsh reality of life as we know it in the west. So, Kenya is being used as a tool because the corruption level there is high and the MULTI BILLION human trafficking industry can easily afford to buy and sell people in a corrupt country. Add to that the support of those who thrive on seeing the strong “NATION OF ERITREA” go down to satisfy their agendas, then it is clear that these 12 players are leaving for purely economic reasons which is not guaranteed anywhere during these economic hardship.

I have on many occasions spoken to other Eritrean players who have defected and they all have said to me that if they had to do it over again they would have stayed and pursued their soccer playing careers in Eritrea. Many of them did not know that once they get to their final destination, their lives would be miserable. Some even admitted to being coerced by organizations working to destabilize the people of Eritrea.

Amazing Media Coverage a clear indication of attacks against ERITREA.

A consorted effort by the media to shape up the psyche of the innocent minds of the outside world clearly indicates that as Eritrea progresses with it’s nation building endeavors, the attacks will continue to the highest and the defection of these players only gives ammunition to those wolves who are ready to see failure.  Meanwhile in Eritrea the TOUR OF ERITREA an internationally approved Cycling event is going well showcasing the beauty of Eritrea and it’s people. Where are the TV networks and the newspapers? How come they are not doing a story about an African nation with the unique Cycling tradition and hosting a regional event that combines participants from the Middle East and East Africa?

It is amazing to see the amount of coverage that this negative story got which clearly shows it is motivated by an agenda. A few years ago three Eritrean cyclists defected during another event and today the biggest Cycling event is being held in Eritrea and Eritreans are becoming top-notch cyclists that will one day compete in an international event.  Life goes on and more athletes will be born and developed.

Because 12 players defected it does not mean the soccer program will come to a halt but many new players will get a chance to prove their ability to compete and perform for the ERITREAN National team.

As a matter of fact I personally have spoken with players from the Diaspora who may be good enough to represent Eritrea. They all admitted that if given a chance it would be an honor to play for their nation. There is no doubt that Eritrea will one day make the African nations cup and even the world cup. And when it does many of these players that defected will look back and reflect. The highest form of recognition as an individual and as athletes is to represent your country. By winning the game against Tanzania the Eritrean national side would have advanced to the semi-finals and possibly to the finals of the CECAFA. Reports were clearly showing that the Eritrean side was one of the more talented squads. When a similar situation happened during another qualifying game in Angola the Red Sea boys struck right back in Asmara after suffering a huge loss, as they tied a world cup contending team to a goalless draw in Asmara.

Don’t let human traffickers fool you, as they don’t have the power to change a sporting nation.  If we look back into history we can see that athletic defection is not a new phenomena but something that has been used for propaganda to weaken the moral of nation. Eritreans certainly will not bow down to these types of attacks.

Everyone and their mother know that. The funny part about this story was as reported by some of those “Scooby doo” news papers and internet articles, “When the plane got to Asmara, only the two coaches were present which ended up being a huge lie.  To all the returning players I say keep your heads up and come back with a stronger squad and make Eritrea proud. You made a very smart choice.

Mike Seium

For Eri-International sports blog