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How a radio host, her husband, and a Facebook page admin banded together to bring stranded soccer stars home from Spain
How a radio host, her husband, and a Facebook page admin banded together to bring stranded soccer stars home from Spain

IOL News

timea day ago

  • IOL News

How a radio host, her husband, and a Facebook page admin banded together to bring stranded soccer stars home from Spain

A group of children from Cape Town saw their dream turn into a nightmare after being stranded in Spain following a soccer tour. Image: Supplied Thanks to the outpouring of help from South Africans, young aspiring soccer stars from the Cape Flats and three coaches who were left stranded in Spain are set to return home this week. The 25 children, aged between 13 and 18, participated in the Donosti Cup 2025 in San Sebastián, Spain. They are part of BT Football - a Cape Town-based academy. The team was set to return home on July 15, 2025. However, their return tickets were unavailable. According to the Cape Argus, no return tickets were booked. BT Football Academy owner Brandon Timmy requested that the group travel by bus to neighbouring Portugal, which would allow him to secure more affordable flights back to Cape Town Claims were further made that return tickets were never booked. After a nightmare ordeal, coaches in Lisbon reached out to parents and social media for assistance. They were stuck in a foreign country, with no food, accommodation, or flights to return home. But, the golden hearts of a local radio host, her husband, and an admin on a popular Facebook page made the impossible possible. KFM radio host Tracey Lange, her husband Avukile Mabombo, through the Tracey Lange Cares initiative, were the ones who immediately jumped into action when the news came out about the stranded children. Shantelle Engelbrecht, from Johannesburg, an admin of the popular Facebook page Coloured Girls Rock, also stepped in. KFM radio presenter and media personality Tracey Lange and her husband Avukile Mabombo made it their mission to bring back the stranded group from Spain. Image: Facebook/Tracey Lange Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Engelbrecht is known for assisting those in need and using social media to change the lives of those who need it most. The trio, who never met before, banded together with one goal in sight: bringing back the children and coaches. Lange and Engelbrecht kept social media users updated with their blow-by-blow posts on how far things are progressing. Their posts saw donations flood in from all over as normal South Africans dug deep in their pockets to give anything they could to assist with food, accommodation, and flight costs. Shantelle Engelbrecht, admin of the Coloured Girls Rock page ensured that this group would return home safely. Image: Supplied By Tuesday morning, it has been confirmed that the group will be returning home to South Africa on Wednesday and Thursday. 'We can confirm that we have managed to raise the funds to pay for all 28 flight tickets and with the assistance of TAAG have managed to secure seats on flights within the next few days. Everyone will be home by the end of the week. Thank you to everyone that has assisted in making this possible. I will be sharing more details at a later stage to also share a special thanks to everybody,' Lange said. Lange also confirmed that locals in Lisbon also reached out to assist the stranded group. Speaking to IOL, Engelbrecht said they had initially managed to book flights bit by bit, however, a travel agent, named Mel, had managed to get flight discounts from R28,000 to R18,500 per person. 'A group of kind people in Portugal, some South Africans, some friends and family of South Africans, and some absolute strangers are helping with food for the group on that side,' she said. The statement released by the football academy. Image: Supplied Engelbrecht said the donations from South Africans, albeit small amounts all contributed to the end goal. 'One lady walked to the ATM to deposit money. People sent proof of payments. It all eventually added up,' she said. The stranded coaches, who used money out of their own pockets, will also be receiving some assistance. Engelbrecht reached out to major retailer Pick n Pay to assist coaches who had to bear the brunt of feeding the group in Euros. 'When I spoke to Pick n Pay, just to say please when the coaches come back, can we sort them out with groceries since they used their own money to help with the children? I was an immediate yes,' she said. Now, knowing they will be home soon, the group will be shown around Portugal by locals who contacted the trio, stating they wanted to change their horrible experience and have them leave with great memories. 'They are hosting the team today, showing them the sites and letting them experience some of the lekker food Portugal is known for. Again, ordinary people. Those are the heroes,' Engelbrecht said. She said this was never about clout, but about pure humanity to those in distress. 'This is not about the shine. The thing for us was, let's just get these children home,' Engelbrecht said. In a statement released on Sunday, July 20, 2025, BT Football released a statement citing delayed visa appointments as the reason it failed to book return flights in time. "Prior to departure, all essential elements of the tour, including accommodation, food, tournament registration, and other logistical requirements, were paid and secured. Our team was excited and well-prepared to represent South Africa in the prestigious Donosti Cup. Unfortunately, our preparations were significantly impacted by delays in securing visa appointment slots. 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," the statement read. It further stated costs of return flights were unaffordable. "The cost of return flights so close to the departure date proved unaffordable. The boys and girls successfully participated in the Donosti Cup tournament. However, upon conclusion of the tournament, the return flight prices remained prohibitively high, and we were still unable to secure tickets home." They also claimed they were working around the clock to bring the group home. IOL

Community support shines as stranded football players seek return home
Community support shines as stranded football players seek return home

IOL News

timea day ago

  • Sport
  • IOL News

Community support shines as stranded football players seek return home

The group 25 young children aged between 13 and 18, along with their coaches, who were due to return to South Africa on July 16. Good Samaritans have come together to offer financial assistance and resources to alleviate the distressing situation faced by a group of BT Football Academy players and coaches who are currently stranded in Europe. The group 28 young children aged between 13 and 18, along with their coaches, who were due to return to South Africa on July 16. However, some remain stranded due to unforeseen circumstances. They found themselves in this predicament after participating in the Donosti Cup in San Sebastián, Spain. Local radio and television personality Tracey Lange, through her initiative Tracey Lange Cares, has taken the lead in a campaign to facilitate the boys' return. Thanks to this effort, Melisha from Travel Direct responded to the urgent appeal and offered her services to assist in bringing back the stranded players. With the funds raised thus far, it is anticipated that the players and one coach from the group of will likely return to Cape Town on Wednesday evening. As if the group's situation were not challenging enough, and with no return tickets booked, BT Football Academy owner Brandon Timmy requested that the group travel by bus to neighbouring Portugal. This would allow him to secure more affordable flights back to Cape Town. Jayvin Chisholm, a coach at BT Football, returned home on Saturday with a small group of players. He mentioned that some Good Samaritans had generously covered the costs of accommodation and meals in Lisbon. Chisholm said his life had been profoundly affected by this ordeal. He had heard of fundraising efforts but was sceptical, having encountered too many falsehoods during his experience with BT Football. 'Perhaps this is yet another instance of reserved tickets,' he said. Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that the public will respond to the appeal so that everyone can return to Cape Town. He was also informed that parents have been filing complaints at local police stations after allegedly paying R50,000 for the trip. In the meantime, the heart-wrenching situation faced by the players has provoked widespread anger within the local football community, which has expressed its outrage across social media. The surge of compassion and indignation has taken centre stage on social platforms, with BT Football Academy Chairman Brandon Timmy emerging as a focal point of public criticism. Online discussions have brought parental frustration to the fore and ignited broader concerns about BT Football's transparency and accountability. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus

Cape Town parents distressed as children stranded in Spain after football tour
Cape Town parents distressed as children stranded in Spain after football tour

IOL News

time2 days ago

  • Sport
  • IOL News

Cape Town parents distressed as children stranded in Spain after football tour

A group of children from Cape Town saw their dream turn into a nightmare after being stranded in Spain following a soccer tour. Image: Supplied A EUROPEAN football dream has turned into a nightmare for a group of Cape Town parents, who have been left in a state of severe stress after their children were left stranded in Spain, following a soccer tour with the BT Football academy. The children participated in the Donosti Cup 2025. Among them is a 13-year-old from Kraaifontain. He had been with the club for the past two years. His grandmother said: 'Last year they were chosen on merit to join the tour. They told us what it was going to cost and we were given enough time to fundraise. Each child had to pay R50 000 and they started paying in September last year. That was supposed to cover the flights, food, accommodation and transport. 'BT Academy is the first academy his father put in and he absolutely loved it. He says he wants to be a professional soccer player. My grandson was very excited about this trip' There were apparently three teams selected, including an under 14 team, an under 19 team and a girls team. Including the coaches who joined the trip as chaperones, there were 38 people. In Spain, everything was going well. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Cape Town group representing South Africa at the Donosti Cup in Spain. Image: Supplied 'The under 19s made it to the finals. The under 14s went to the knock-out rounds, they won two games. It was teams from all over the world. He was excited, sending pictures of the opening marching onto the grounds, and fireworks; it was quite an experience for them.' However, things took a turn when the children with their coaches arrived back at the airport in Madrid. 'The chairperson was the one arranging all flights and accommodation. Everybody thought the return flights had already been booked. At the airport, the coaches were waiting for him to send the tickets and he kept saying, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, which eventually turned into hours. It went on from Tuesday until today, they're still waiting.' She said at some point the chairperson then started asking the parents for more money, saying the prices of the flights had gone up. 'Everyone was under the impression that everything was sorted, booked and paid for. This had been the academy's third year doing these tours. They left Madrid for Portugal because the tickets from there would be cheaper home. The coaches said they have been using their personal funds to feed the kids, buying them food. They were chased out of one hotel. Thankfully now they have accommodation.' She said they had been again promised their child would be on a flight by 4pm yesterday, to no avail. She had tried reaching out to the Department of International Relations (Dirco) but was given a number to call, to no avail. 'We feel traumatised, this was his first time going on an aeroplane, his first time leaving his parents even for two nights. It was a dream come true turned into a nightmare.' Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said: "This is very unfortunate and we hope that all those involved will take responsibility and we encourage all South Africans with the means to assist where possible. Unfortunately this is not a case which would fall directly within the ambit of our consular services. But we will endeavor to explore all avenues to assist." BT Academy did not respond to requests for comment by deadline. The parents are appealing to anyone willing to help or donate towards flight costs to ensure the safe return of the children. They can be reached via email at teelaw92@ Cape Times

Cape Flats soccer stars stranded in Spain
Cape Flats soccer stars stranded in Spain

IOL News

time2 days ago

  • Sport
  • IOL News

Cape Flats soccer stars stranded in Spain

Young soccer players from the Cape Flats are stranded in Spain after their return tickets failed to materialise. 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. 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. Cape Argus

Cape Flats soccer stars stranded in Spain
Cape Flats soccer stars stranded in Spain

IOL News

time2 days ago

  • Sport
  • IOL News

Cape Flats soccer stars stranded in Spain

Young soccer players from the Cape Flats are stranded in Spain after their return tickets failed to materialise. 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. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 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. Cape Argus

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