Botswana grants 10 Eritrean soccer players asylum
Botswana has granted asylum to a group of 10 Eritrean soccer players who sought refuge after playing in a World Cup qualifying match earlier this month, their lawyer said on Thursday.
The Eritreans refused to board their plane home on Oct. 13 after playing the match against Botswana. They then claimed asylum, becoming the latest in a series of defections by athletes from a country under investigation by the United Nations for human rights violations.