Didier Drogba has compared the exploitation of young African footballers by “fake agents” to human trafficking and urged European football to help end a practice that is leaving people stranded and homeless.
The issue of shady figures claiming to be football agents to trick young players from African countries into handing over money on the promise of trials or contracts at European clubs has been a blight on the global game for several years but has gained little traction publicly.
Now, former Chelsea striker Drogba, who was an Ivory Coast international, and former team-mate Geremi, who played more than 100 times for Cameroon, are working with Fifpro, the global players’ union, to tackle the issue.
“[As] Young players you have a dream, you are inspired by the Premier League, by the Bundesliga or Serie A, you want to follow in the footsteps of those great African players who play in Europe,” Drogba said.
“Those young people unfortunately get scammed by would-be agents. Or real agents who scam them, telling them you’re going to have a great career, but at the end of the day, the dream ends up being a nightmare for these young people. You are being scammed, you are being fooled. It’s a swindle.”
He added: “It’s like smugglers, human traffickers, it’s the same principle. You push people to take a makeshift boat across the Mediterranean Sea and these poor people end up risking and losing their lives. There is such hope generated by this departure, but they don’t know what might be hidden behind this false promise.”
Geremi was one of the continent’s success stories, leaving for Europe and winning La Liga and the Champions League twice in Spain at Real Madrid before moving to Chelsea and twice lifting the Premier League trophy in England. But he also experienced the darker side of being a young footballer in Africa.
“It’s true that I met a dishonest person,” Geremi, now Fifpro’s Africa President, said. “He was offering me the moon and it sounded very appealing to be offered a contract in Europe.
“I’d always dreamt of having a career in Europe. But it turned out to be a very difficult experience for me because this person had not organised my departure very well. Nobody expected us when I arrived in Europe.”
Geremi believes the problem is exacerbated by the players wanting “to break away from poverty” and not only earn money for themselves but “to help out our family back in Africa”. The families of players can hand over between £4,300 and £8,600 in order to secure fake meetings at clubs.
“Fifpro has heard many stories about players being approached by people pretending to be agents that promise to arrange a trial or a contract with a new club,” a Fifpro statement said. “Often that club is said to be located abroad, and they paint a picture of a successful future with the player becoming rich and famous.
“The reality is less glamorous. There is no trial, there is no contract with a club, and these players end up losing a substantial amount of money to these ‘fake agents’. In some of the worst cases players find themselves stranded abroad, without money to return home.”
The “fake agents” campaign, also run in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation, launches today and initially aims to educate young people and their families in Africa about the dangers. In the long-term, Drogba hopes that the leagues and facilities in Africa are developed enough to offer realistic opportunities to be a professional footballer at home.
“My view is Europe bears part of the responsibility,” Drogba said. “I’m not here to name and shame I’m here to work on solutions. Part of the responsibility lies with Africa as well.”
He pointed to the work of the NBA, which has funded a basketball league in Africa from which American teams now recruit players. “This is a good practice we could get inspiration from.”
He added: “Geremi and myself are exceptions. Many hopefuls from Africa will never play for Real Madrid or Manchester United. What is to become of them? They have a right of making a living out of playing football in Africa.”
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/TIYuhe1
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