After defections, Eritrea turns to diaspora for Afcon qualifiers
Kenya's Kevin Kimani (left) tussles for the ball with an Eritrean opponent in a Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup semi-final match at the StarTimes Stadium in Kampala on December 17, 2019.
Eritrea will face Kenya in Nairobi in their opening Group D match and host South Africa on September 30.
The Eritrean squad for the opening two group games draws 27 players from clubs in 13 different countries
Eritrea will continue participating in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers despite seven of their players defecting when they last played a match in March, but now intend to field a team made up of players drawn from the diaspora.
The Red Sea state, largely closed off to the rest of the world and often described as a "hermit" country, has seen many sportspeople defect over the last two decades to avoid indefinite military conscription and severe repression.
