KABUL, April 15: Afghan sports authorities were furious on Thursday after nine of the war-ravaged country's football players disappeared while on tour in Italy in an apparent bid to seek asylum.

"I can confirm that nine of our football players have gone missing in Italy. This is an unfair and disgusting act by our athletes," the deputy director of Afghanistan's Olympics Committee, Sayeed Mahmmood Zia Dashti, said.

"This gives a bad impression of Afghans and Afghan players to Western countries and has a negative impact on our sports relations with other countries."

The nine players failed to return after a night out in Verona in northern Italy on Monday ahead of a friendly match against Verona, team spokesman Abdullah Amiriam said in Rome. Their passports are being held by club officials. One of the players was stopped by border police in Switzerland on a train heading for Germany on Wednesday, Italian news agency ANSA has reported. -AFP