It emerged few weeks ago that about 200 Ghanaian football supporters who were in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup failed to return to Ghana—and had made application to Brazilian authorities to be granted Asylum.

The grounds for their asylum claims remain uncertain, but it was speculated that the applications were made citing religious conflict.

The embarrassed Government of Ghana threatened to place a request to the Brazilian authorities to somehow ensure that these asylum claims were refused as there is no real religious conflict in Ghana.

However, reports say the football supporters turned asylum seekers have been granted an initial one-year permit by Brazilian authorities to stay and work in the country.

And already, some of these supporters have made their way to Argentina, Ecuador and other neighbouring countries—with some heading as far as the USA by road.

GhanaSoccornet reports that, one of the asylum seekers-Hamidu Ahmed who spoke on Asempa FM refuted claims that they made applications on religious conflict grounds.

“We didn’t tell Brazilian authorities that there was conflict in Ghana and for that they should grant us asylum,” he said.

He continued “Each and every one of us came here with his own reason which is definitely not a conflict situation.

“We have received our papers and some of us have already started working. Some of us work in industries and others work in the construction sector.

“Some have however left into neighboring Argentina, Ecuador and the likes. Others are also traveling by road to the USA”.