Local athletes are probably always looking to compete in foreign countries to hopefully gain a reputation and get signed to overseas teams. This is particulary true when it comes to the youth. Their prospects are limitless. What forms part of these 'auditions' is to play in tournaments. Once it ends, athletes return home.
This has somewhat occured in Portugal, with a sad twist. Over two dozen South African athletes have been left in Portugal after participating in a tournament in Spain.
The Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Ricardo Mackenzie, is travelling to Portugal to assess the situation regarding a group of stranded young soccer players from Cape Town.
The group left the city earlier this month to take part in a football tournament in Spain. They’ve since been left stranded after the BT Football Academy allegedly failed to pay for return flights and accommodation. The group of more than 20 players is currently staying in a hotel in Lisbon.
“Minister Ricardo Mackenzie is currently travelling to Portugal to go and assess the situation and to determine what additional support is needed to ensure that the children can get home safely. Our first priority now is to ensure that the children are safe and they they can get home as soon as possible,” says acting Ministerial Spokesperson, Tania Colyn.
Mackenzie, says arrangements are being finalised to bring the group of soccer players stranded in Portugal back home by Thursday.
The group left the city earlier this month to take part in a football tournament in Spain. They’ve since been left stranded after the BT Football Academy allegedly failed to pay for return flights and accommodation.
BT Football Academy sent a group of 35 teenagers, aged between 13 and 18, alongside four coaches, to participate in the Donosti Cup in Spain, an annual age-group soccer tournament which takes place in San Sebastián.
Parents of these young athletes paid R50 000 for the expenses of the trip, which was supposed to be nine days, from 6 July until 15 July, with the tournament taking place from 7 July until 13 July.
The group of more than 20 players are currently staying in a hotel in Lisbon. The reason provided for the lack of return tickets for the athletes was because of the exorbitant prices at the time they wanted to make the purchase, impacted by delays in the visa application process.
"Unfortunately, our preparations were significantly impacted by delays in securing visa appointment slots," a statement by BT Football Academy read. "Despite our early attempts to begin the visa process, we were only granted appointments much later than planned. As a result, visas were received merely a week before the intended departure. This created immense pressure on our team to secure flights within an extremely short timeframe."
Mackenzie says the provincial government decided to step in because the children’s well-being comes first.
"I just came back from a run with the boys. I saw the kids, they’re all in good spirits and happy to get home. Thank you, Tracy Lange, Avukile, and all the stakeholders that have been working extremely hard in raising funds to get these kids home safely. All arrangements have been made, all flights have been booked and in three different groups, all these kids should arrive in South Africa, Cape Town, by Thursday. Thanks to everyone who’s been working hard to ensure the safety of these kids to the Western Cape and to South Africa."
The parents of a South African team of young athletes stuck in Portugal are growing more anxious by the hour amid fears they will be booted from their accommodation after a dream sports trip turned into a nightmare.
Nine players and one coach have since returned but more than a dozen other young boys and girls remain stranded in Lisbon. One of the coaches working for the organisers, Jayvin Chisholm, said many of the coaches are furious with the top management of BT Academy, which admitted in a letter calling for donations that the funds paid by the players had fallen short of covering the estimated cost of the trip.
"He’s just trying to keep afloat with the coaches that are willing to even speak to him at this moment being myself and coach Clayton because the other coaches, they won't speak to him at all because they are just so furious about the whole situation."
One parent whose daughter is still in Portugal said they have not received any communication from the owner. "As days are going, then she said they are changing, they moved from Santa Basia, they going to Madrid, where they got another accommodation. There they spent two nights there and then last night around past ten, they have to drive from Madrid to Lisbon airport."
The Department of International Relations (DIRCO) said it's unable to assist a team of young South African soccer players stranded in Portugal. In a written response, DIRCO spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, has described the incident as unfortunate, urging the general public to assist if they have the financial means to.
A radio personality and a church have helped to bring the junior players home after being left stranded in Europe by their academy. Radio personality, Tracey Lange, through her Tracey Lange Cares initiative, raised the money to secure return flights for the 28 South Africans.
"We can confirm that we have managed to raise the funds to pay for all 28 flight tickets and with the assistance of TAAG [Airlines] have managed to secure seats on flights within the next few days," Lange, who has been using her online platform to raise funds, said. "Everyone will be home by the end of the week."
The Christ Culture Church noted that it had covered nearly all the costs of the 28 stranded South Africans through Tracey Lange Cares.
"As the major sponsor, we covered approximately 95% of the total flight costs," it said. "At the time of payment, R54 000 had been received through public financial donations, and many more contributions – financial and in-kind – have continued to come in since. This is more than a rescue – it is a testimony of what can happen when a nation chooses unity over division, action over apathy, and love over fear."
According to its statement, TAAG Airlines reduced the cost of the flight, which had been the biggest hindrance in Timmy’s failure to buy the return-flights.
This particular situation is appalling. The Academy should've done everything they could to send the players back home. They weren't, without a shadow of doubt, in a position to shrug their shoulders and seek external assistance. To me, their actions are simply irresponsible.
The parents spent a lot of money. They shouldn't shed anymore because of a mistake. If this story shows anything, it's that a community can really come together and unite in a time of crisis.