A TEAM of nine basketball players from the Central African Republic, their trainer, his assistant and an official all went missing during a stopover in Paris on their way home last week. The group stopped over in Paris on August 13 after playing an African Cup of Nations match in Rabat, Morocco, and has not been seen since, a source said. A journalist from state radio who accompanied the team said on Tuesday the members of the squad all hoped to find spots on French teams to improve their skills before eventually returning to the Central African Republic. Another commentator said the defections were to be expected, given the poor social conditions existing currently in the poverty-stricken country. – AFP