14 African female footballers defect in Germany

Over a dozen female footballers from Cameroon and Togo have been reported missing in Germany after a tournament in Berlin.

German immigration authorities have reported the disappearance of the 14 female footballers who were members of teams invited to participate in a neighbourhood football tournament – Discover Football – inspired by the Women's World Cup.

The tournament was held between June 27 and July 3 in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, with teams from Afghanistan, India, Israel and Cameroon, while Togo female match officials were in attendance, among others.

A police report says 14 members of the African contingent did not return with the rest of the group, and their whereabouts are unknown, according to Paris-based pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique.

Both Cameroon and Togo football federations have declined to comment on the matter, while organisers of the event on Wednesday issued a statement regretting how the affair had overshadowed a “worthwhile tournament meant to foster the growth of female football.”

Last month, nine Senegalese players touring Europe deserted their hotel in Le Havre, France near the end of their tour. They are yet to be tracked down by the police.