Two Sudanese players from Asante Kotoko, AbdoelKarem Yagoub and Esmat Abdulhamid, have reportedly disappeared from their hotel in the US ahead of the team’s friendly match against DC United on October 12, 2024.
The players traveled to the US after Kotoko’s victory over Hearts of Oak in the Democracy Cup.
This annual match, organized by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), is part of the Ghana Week DC 2024 festivities. Seven players, including Yagoub and Abdulhamid, traveled to the US with head coach Dr. Prosper Ogum Narteh, hoping that the remaining players would secure visas to join them.
However, the club announced on Thursday that efforts to obtain visas for the remaining players were unsuccessful, leading to their withdrawal from the competition. The statement indicated that the contingent already in the US would return on Sunday, October 13.
According to sources from Luv Sports, club officials discovered on Friday night that Yagoub and Abdulhamid were missing from the team hotel, and attempts to locate them have so far been unsuccessful. The players had previously requested permission to go exchange money, but their request was denied. CCTV footage revealed that they sneaked out of the hotel, and there has been no information regarding their whereabouts since.
Team officials in the US are currently searching for the players to ensure their safe return.