Swedish police are searching for about 20 Ethiopians, most of them teenage boys, who disappeared after taking part in this year’s Gothia Cup, one of the world’s biggest youth football tournaments, in Gothenburg.
The group was reported missing on the tournament’s final day after staff at the school where the Ethiopian team was staying realised they had left without informing anyone. Tournament organisers alerted police, who opened a missing persons investigation. Officers believe the group may have left voluntarily and are examining whether the case is linked to illegal migration.
Those missing include boys aged between 14 and 17, as well as at least one adult accompanying the team. Four Ethiopian teams competed in this year’s Gothia Cup, which attracted youth sides from 77 countries.
Tournament officials say the disappearance was unexpected. Gothia Cup spokesperson Fredrik Beckman said organisers had always had a good relationship with the team and described the incident as unusual. He added that the police report was filed as a precaution.
More than a week later, the group has still not been found. Police have confirmed they did not return to Ethiopia and believe they left of their own free will. Ellinor Halldin, who works with the missing persons unit in western Sweden, urged caution over assumptions about their intentions.
“We have no idea if they’re trying to stay in Sweden. That would just be speculation,” she told reporters.
Investigators say the case stands out because of the number of people involved. Halldin said participants have gone missing after previous editions of the Gothia Cup, but never on this scale. Police also stressed there is no evidence of criminal activity or human trafficking.
Founded in 1975 and organised by Swedish club BK Häcken, the Gothia Cup is regarded as the world’s largest youth football tournament. Every summer it brings together tens of thousands of young players from around the world in Gothenburg. While isolated cases of participants remaining in Sweden after the competition have occurred before, organisers and police say the disappearance of an entire delegation of this size is highly unusual.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah