From The Associate Press

The Ethiopian football federation will not allow its team to travel to neighboring Eritrea for a qualifying game in the African Nations Championship because of simmering hostilities between the countries and the lack of security guarantees.

Federation spokesman Melaku Ayele said Wednesday that Ethiopia was happy to host the Eritreans for the second leg in January and would ensure their safety, but wanted a neutral venue for this month's first leg, scheduled for Eritrea's capital, Asmara.

''Who can give you the security guarantee in Asmara? Nobody can give you a security guarantee,'' Melaku said. ''Even you foreign journalists don't get that. That's the reality and everybody knows.''

Melaku referred to the matches as ''a peaceful fight,'' but said Ethiopia had asked the Confederation of African Football to move next weekend's game in Asmara to Sudan. If the Eritreans do not want to travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia would be willing to also move its home game to Sudan, Melaku said.

The African Nations Championship is a continentwide competition restricted to home-based players. The countries were drawn to play in the preliminary qualifying round for the tournament in South Africa in 2014.

Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia in 1991 but a border dispute broke out into a bloody two-year war in 1998. They still do not have diplomatic ties and border skirmishes resurfaced in March.

It's unclear if the Eritreans will be able to play the first leg after 17 national team players went missing in Uganda on Tuesday following the team's elimination from a regional competition. Ugandan police said they were searching for the players and would deport them when found.

In 2009, the entire Eritrea team claimed asylum in Kenya at the CECAFA Cup. Some Eritrean athletes also went missing at this year's London Olympics.