Twenty Ethiopians connected to a youth football team disappeared in Sweden on the final day of the Gothia Cup youth tournament, prompting an international missing persons search.
The group consists mainly of boys aged between 14 and 17, together with one or more adult leaders. Police believe they left voluntarily, amid suspicions that they may be attempting to remain in Sweden or another European country, although officers say that has not been confirmed.
The Gothia Cup, also known as the World Youth Cup, brought teams from 77 countries to Gothenburg this year, including four teams from Ethiopia.
The disappearance was discovered when an administrator at the school accommodating one of the Ethiopian teams found that its players and accompanying adults had left without notifying anyone.
Gothia Cup organizers contacted police as a precaution, and a formal missing persons report was filed. Ten days after the tournament ended on July 19, the group remained unaccounted for and had not returned to Ethiopia.
“From our perspective, it’s strange because this is a team that we have a good relationship with,” Gothia Cup press officer Fredrik Beckman told Göteborgs-Posten.
The final communication received from the team reportedly came from its contact person, who thanked organizers for their “consideration” and claimed the situation appeared to have resulted from a communication problem.
However, the message provided no explanation of where the players and leaders had gone or whether they intended to return home.
Police said the group is now being sought internationally. Officers are working with the Swedish Migration Agency, border police and authorities in other countries, and expect to be alerted if any member of the group attempts to cross a border or comes into contact with officials.
Police say there is no evidence that the group was trafficked or smuggled.
“There is no indication that anything illegal lies behind this, such as people smuggling or something similar,” Halldin told Swedish media.
She added that in previous cases, missing participants had often been located gradually over time.
