Players Defect From Rwandan Soccer Team

Five players deserted the Rwandan national soccer team in France on the way home from a World Cup qualifying match, the president of the country’s Olympic committee said.

“It was a very long journey home and fortunately we did not lose more players,” Gideon Rudahonga told state-run Radio Rwanda. “Others could have gone if we hadn’t taken precautions.”

The five players disappeared Friday while returning from a match in Tunis, Rudahonga said. The team had spent the night in Paris in transit to Kigali.

Their whereabouts Saturday were unknown. It was not clear if they attended to seek political asylum, and the French government had no immediate comment.

Rudahonga said team captain Froduard Bujyakera had told him of rumors that some players wanted to stay in France. Rudahonga said he notified police and the Rwandan ambassador, but five were still able to slip away.

The rest of the team was taken to the airport under guard.

Rwanda still suffers from ethnic tension following 1994 genocide of more than 500,000 people, most of them Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus.

The identity and ethnicity of the players were not specified.

The team had lost the two-game series against Tunisia, Africa’s second-ranked soccer team. The last time a Rwandan national team played in international competition was 1986.