About 20 Ethiopians reported missing after Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden

Roughly 20 members of an Ethiopian delegation that traveled to Gothenburg for the Gothia Cup youth football tournament have disappeared and never returned home, Swedish police say.

Authorities believe the group left of their own free will rather than being victims of any crime. Ellinor Halldin of the missing persons unit for the Swedish police's western region said there's no way to know for certain whether the group intends to remain in Sweden, calling that idea speculation at this stage.

She noted that disappearances during the Gothia Cup aren't unheard of, but the scale of this case is unusual — in past years a handful of participants have gone missing, some later returning home and others choosing to stay in Sweden or elsewhere, but never a group this large.

The case came to light on the tournament's final day, when staff at the school being used as accommodation realized the Ethiopian team had left without notice, according to Göteborgs-Posten. Gothia Cup organizers alerted police, who opened a missing persons investigation. The missing include boys aged 14 to 17 along with at least one adult chaperone.

Halldin told the newspaper investigators have seen nothing to suggest trafficking or other criminal activity was involved.

About the Gothia Cup: The tournament is an international youth football competition run by the professional club BK Häcken and has taken place every year in Gothenburg since 1975.