Short answers, pulled from the story.
An Eritrean team participated in a friendly tournament in Sudan in 1992 before the nation achieved independence. The nation did not officially exist as a sovereign state until 1993, yet footballers from the region competed under an informal banner.
Tekie Abraha became the first manager of the national football team of Eritrea between 1991 and 1996. He returned to manage the team again from 1999 to 2000 and once more in 2003.
Yidnekachew Shimangus holds the record for most appearances with 23 caps and scored 6 goals between 1998 and 2007. No other player has surpassed this total number of matches played for the squad.
Eritrea withdrew from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on the 2nd of March 2022 due to the lack of a stadium meeting CAF requirements. Botswana received a walkover as their intended opponent.
In December 2012, 17 Eritrean footballers and the team's doctor vanished after the CEFA championship tournament in Uganda and applied for asylum there. The government began requiring athletes to pay a 100,000 nakfa surety before traveling abroad to prevent further absconding.