About this episode

The episode discusses Eritrea's return to international football after a long absence, the challenges faced by the national team, and related topics including a Belarusian team in exile and a Russian war critic in Cyprus.

Eritrea’s national team haven’t played an official match in seven years. But this month, the Red Sea Camels are making their long-awaited return to the international stage in AFCON 2027 qualifying. So what kept Eritrea away? Why are they returning to the fold now? And do they have any chance against Eswatini? In this episode, we take you on a virtual journey to the Horn of Africa – and shine a light on the only country excluded from the FIFA rankings. Plus, the Belarusian team in exile in Poland and the Russian war critic making waves in Cyprus. Sweeper football shirts: ⁠https://stingz.co/collections/sweeper-podcast⁠ Deutsche Welle documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMRQQYGNBK8 Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:14 – Eritrea’s international absence 04:55 – Dictatorships and defection 09:16 – The long-awaited return to the fold 13:30 – The state of play in the national team 19:02 – Poland’s Belarusian club in exile 22:47 – Sweeper shirts and special bonus pod 24:17 – Russia’s war critic turned club owner

People in this episode

Hosts: Lee Wingate, Paul Watson

Topics covered

• Eritrea national team
• AFCON 2027 qualifying
• dictatorship and defection
• Belarusian team in exile
• Russia's war critic

Keywords

• Eritrea
• AFCON 2027
• football
• dictatorship
• Belarus
• Poland
• Cyprus
• international football
• defection

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Deutsche Welle

Places: Eritrea, Eswatini, Horn of Africa, Poland, Cyprus

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