Cape Flats soccer stars stranded in Spain
Image: Daniel Allgyer from Pixabay
It was meant to be a dream football experience, but young soccer players from the Cape Flats are stranded in Spain after their return tickets failed to materialise.
The distressing situation unfolded just weeks after players from Brandon Timmy's BT Football — a Cape Town-based academy — embarked on a tour inspired by aspirations of honing their football skills and immersing themselves in Spain's rich footballing culture.
However, when the group concluded their activities and prepared to return home, reality struck.
The return tickets that were supposed to bring them back to South Africa were mysteriously unavailable.
The shocking news has left the young players and their families in Cape Town reeling in disbelief and despair.
According to LinkedIn, Timmy is also listed as the owner of a travel agency, BT Travel.
While a few return tickets had surfaced in the days prior, the broader situation remained dire.
Efforts to reach Brandon Timmy have thus far been unsuccessful. He did not respond to calls, and his wife, Jonique, terminated a call without comment.
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Meanwhile, Jayvin Chisholm, a BT Football coach, returned home with a small group of players on Saturday.
He recounted the emotional and frustrating ordeal of having to leave their teammates behind.
The distressing circumstances have left Chisholm 'crushed,' largely due to what he described as an apparent lack of planning that forced coaches to take on roles typically reserved for professional tour managers.
Several coaches reportedly paid for various expenses from their own pockets, with one covering more than R60 000 in costs.
In an exclusive interview with Independent Media, Chisholm outlined the chaos that marked the tour, including critical gaps in travel and accommodation arrangements — areas he felt were handled with alarming unprofessionalism.
Desperate for help, the coaches approached the South African Embassy in Madrid, but their efforts were in vain.
Back home, a heartfelt show of solidarity emerged. Cape Town football coach Shamieg Mc Laurie took to social media to shine a light on the group's ordeal. Posting on his Facebook page, Captured Sporting Moments, Mc Laurie raised awareness and called for support from the broader community.
He also revealed that the players' parents had each paid about R50 000 for the trip, making the situation even more tragic. According to Mc Laurie, Timmy has since gone missing, and families are unable to make contact with him.
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has reportedly been made aware of the players' plight. Further responses from authorities and organisers are awaited as the young players and their families continue to seek a resolution to the crisis. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.
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