Samuel Tesfagabr

Samuel Tesfagabr is an Eritrean footballer. He defected from Eritrea while on national team duty at a tournament in Kenya and received asylum in Australia. He was signed to the A-League team Gold Coast United in their final season. As of 2016, he plays for Adelaide Blue Eagles in the National Premier Leagues South Australia.

Escape from Eritrea Tesfagabr was part of the Eritrea national football team and played in the 2009 CECAFA Cup in Kenya, appearing in the 2-1 group match defeat to Rwanda. When the team plane returned, none of the players including Tesfagabr were on it sparking a search by Eritrean authorities. Tesfagabr and his teammates avoided detection for ten days in Nairobi before finding their way to a refugee camp 800 km from the Kenyan capital. They spent eight months at the camp before they were granted refugee status by Australia. After receiving refugee status from the Australian government, the team moved to Adelaide.

Career in Australia After moving to Australia, Tesfagabr, and three other Eritreans signed with the Western Strikers SC of FFSA Super League. While playing for the club, he worked for a local switchboard manufacturer. Tesfagabr did not make an official appearance for the club. At the end of the season, Gold Coast United lost their license and were dissolved. For the 2013 season, he signed with the Adelaide Comets of the FFSA Super League.

Tesfagabr became an Australian citizen in 2016.