Eritrea: Egypt international Hesham Yakan takes charge of national team

The Eritrean National Football Federation (ENFF) has named Hesham Yakan Zaki as their new coach ahead of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying preliminary round doubleheader against Eswatini this month. The Egyptian has already agreed a deal to coach Eritrea and jetted into the capital, Asmara, on Sunday, March 9.

BREAKING NEWS: ERITREA Has A foreign national coach for the first time since 2008! The Egyptian TV commentator and former zamalek player Hesham Yakin is in charge of the red sea camels. He will arrive in Asmara today.#eritrea#Eritreafootball#redseacamels #egypt #afcon27 pic.twitter.com/jDjA3gG1r3

— Eritrean Football 🔴🌊🐪🇪🇷 (@eritreafootball) March 8, 2026

Eritrea remained without a coach after playing a friendly against the Niger A side in 2025. ENFF has not yet revealed the contract conditions of Yakan as the Egyptian begins his work this week. Yakan is expected to name a squad with a mix of local and experienced players based in other countries. Egypt-based striker Ali Suileman is expected to spearhead the squad.

Yakan is a former Egypt national team defender and spent most of his career with Cairo giants Zamalek. He played for the White Knights for 13 seasons and represented Egypt during the 1990 World Cup. Yakan has coaching experience in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Since gaining independence in 1993, Eritrea has had five foreign coaches who managed the national side. Yakan will be the sixth and the second Egyptian to lead Eritrea. Romanian Dorian Marin and Dutch veteran Rene Feller previously held the coaching position in the Horn of Africa country.

Eritrea has never progressed to AFCON, and they have been absent from the qualifiers since 2007. They will be making a return after nearly two decades.

Mass desertion of players has usually hindered Eritrea from participating in qualifiers in recent times. The desertion of Eritrean football players is a long-standing issue, with over sixty players seeking asylum abroad since 2009 during international matches to escape mandatory, indefinite national service under the regime of President Isaias Afwerki.