Oslo tracks missing Sierra Leone soccer team

OSLO (Reuters) -- Norwegian authorities are trying to trace members of a Sierra Leone soccer team after most of the youth squad vanished at the weekend, with some seeking political asylum.

Ten of the 23 players and trainers from the "Freetown Vikings", aged between 16 and 18, disappeared from accommodation in a school after the end of the Norway Cup, an international youth soccer tournament in Oslo.

Six applied for political asylum, saying they feared persecution if they returned to the west African state where a U.N. peacekeeping force is trying to oversee a 1999 peace accord despite rebel violations.

"Of the total, seven are flying home tomorrow morning. Ten are still missing and we have six applying for political asylum," Steinar Soerlie, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Reuters.

Soerlie said the humanitarian situation in Sierra Leone was tough, but that none of the players had been targets of political persecution.

The Refugee Council, which organized the team in Freetown, said players had promised to return after the tournament to promote soccer in Sierra Leone.

Some of the players were found at the Swedish border at the weekend. Those seeking asylum turned up as far away as the cities of Stavanger and Trondheim on Norway's west coast, up to 310 miles from Oslo.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more Europe news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about Europe

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.