Two Sudanese players “vanish” from team’s camp after arriving in US for football match with DC United
Ghanaian football club Asante Kotoko SC has confirmed that two of their players, Esmat AbdalHamid Mohamed and Obdoelkarem Yoouef Yagoub, both Sudanese nationals, have gone missing from the team’s camp in the United States. In an official statement, the club revealed that the players, who joined the team in July 2024, left the team's hotel on Friday, October 11, 2024, without permission. Despite efforts to contact or find them, their whereabouts remain unknown.
The club has informed U.S. law enforcement and is working with authorities to ensure the players' safe return. "Asante Kotoko SC regrets to inform our supporters and the public that two players, Esmat AbdalHamid Mohamed and Obdoelkarem Yoouef Yagoub, are currently missing from the camp," the statement read. "The players left the team’s hotel without permission on Friday, and all efforts to locate them have been unsuccessful. We are cooperating with U.S. law enforcement and urge our supporters to remain calm as we work with the relevant authorities."
The missing players were part of the Asante Kotoko squad in the U.S. to face Major League Soccer team D.C. United on Saturday, October 12, 2024, during the Ghana Week DC 2024 festivities. This annual event, organized by the Ghana Tourism Authority in partnership with the Ghana Football Association, promotes Ghanaian culture, tourism, and sports in the U.S.
Only seven Kotoko players, including the missing duo, traveled to the U.S. for the match under head coach Dr. Prosper Ogum Narteh, while the rest of the squad was unable to join due to visa issues. As a result, Asante Kotoko withdrew from the match, confirming the decision in a statement on Thursday. The remaining players are scheduled to return to Ghana on Sunday, October 13.
In response, D.C. United and the organizers of Ghana Week DC announced that the match would proceed with a modified team called the "Ghana Week DC Select Side," which will include the remaining Kotoko players, two players from Attram De Visser FC, and other top Ghanaian players based in the U.S.