Latest news with #BTFootballAcademy
IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
'I just want to hug him': Mother's joy as son returns from stranded soccer trip in Spain
FAMILY and friends celebrate the return of the BT Football Academy soccer team at the Cape Town International Airport. Image: Ian Landsberg/Independent Newspapers A mother has shared her excitement of finally seeing her son on Thursday who is among the 25 aspiring soccer stars left stranded in Spain. Dominique Charles from Bellville told the Cape Argus her son, Michael Duminy, 17, is expected to land on South African soil on Thursday afternoon, She has not seen him since July 6. Charles said her son was one of the teenagers who helped the coaches with supervising the others. 'I cannot wait, I do not know how to describe it. It is just a matter of seeing him and wanting to hug him,' she said. 'I cannot thank everyone enough, whether it was through prayer, financial, emotional or mental support, it was a tough time. 'Thank God for making it happen.' Charles said she managed to raise the R48 500 for her son after he was selected to be part of the Donosti Cup 2025 and that she was horrified when she learnt her son and others were stranded. She also managed to secure another R15 000 a week ago. Return flights for the group were apparently not booked after BT Academy claimed their visa appointments were delayed and prices of the tickets increased. 'I was told there isn't enough money and that another R15 000 was needed,' she said. 'That was last Thursday. "I had to borrow the money from different people because what bank is going to give you that kind of money immediately? I still need to pay that back. "This has been a learning curve for everyone. 'I just want to thank the people of Spain also for their hospitality, if it had not been for Tracey Lange and everyone who helped, I don't know what we would have done. According to travel experts, the visa and ticket oversight should have been flagged during the departure process. Most countries, including South Africa, require proof of onward or return travel as a condition of entry and departure - especially when minors are involved. An issued flight ticket refers to a paid, confirmed airline booking that includes all details of the journey. However, an issued one-way ticket cannot be used as a return ticket, unless specifically purchased as a round-trip fare with both outbound and inbound segments. Without such proof, passengers risk being denied entry or even deported from foreign countries. Local radio personality Tracy Lange stepped in to help. She contacted travel agent Melisha Moodley of Travel Direct, who in turn teamed up with Ceu Dia, another travel consultant. Together, they launched a rescue mission to bring the children home through emergency fundraising and donations. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
Eyewitness News
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Families of last group of junior footballers stranded in Portugal anticipating their return
CAPE TOWN - The families of the last group of junior footballers who were stranded in Europe are counting down the hours to see the children. The last group from the BT Football Academy will touch down on home soil at around 2pm on Thursday afternoon. ALSO READ: - Teen duo relieved to be back home in CT after football tour group left stranded in Portugal - Families ready to welcome home some of the BT Football Academy players who were stranded in Portugal The team and their coaches were stranded for a week after their return tickets were never booked. But South Africans rallied to bring them home with donations to feed and house them while abroad. With the last group of teen footballers arriving home in just a few hours, some parents are gearing up to take legal action against BT Football Academy. One of the parents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said academy owner Brandon Timmy reached out to him, asking for R29,000 to help get the kids back. 'I'm just waiting for the other kids to come back. Then, when they're done coming back then I'm going to the police station.' He added that on the day the team left Cape Town, Timmy wouldn't allow parents to see the plane tickets. The emotional father also expressed his frustration about online comments directed at them. 'What makes me cross is people on social media saying, 'parents, what did they do?' It pains me every day. We did a lot for our kids, guys. They must know that parents did a lot.' It's still unclear whether the owners of BT Football Academy will be meeting with the parents to explain why their children and the coaches ended up stranded in Portugal.
IOL News
16 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Mackenzie slams BT Academy owner as stranded kids are all set to return home
Several parents were forced to scramble for funds to bring their children back, as safety concerns mounted. The team was scheduled to return to South Africa on July 16, but chaos erupted when it was discovered that they had no tickets to get home. A group of young players from the Kraaifontein-based academy in Cape Town had travelled to Spain to participate in the Donostia Cup International Tournament. Each child's trip reportedly cost close to R50,000 to cover all the costs. Western Cape MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture Ricardo Mackenzie says the remaining BT Football Academy players stranded overseas are expected to arrive back in South Africa by Thursday afternoon. Mackenzie, speaking amid nationwide outrage over the situation, confirmed that the provincial government has begun reviewing the legal standing and operational compliance of the academy. He also revealed that he has been in direct contact with the owner of BT Academy, Brandon Timmy, and believes Timmy has not been honest throughout the ordeal. 'The kids should be back home by 3pm tomorrow. We are now going through all the documentation and communication,' Mackenzie told eNCA. 'I myself have been speaking to the owner since Monday morning and I have since gone through to have a consultation with the premier because he has not given us truthful information since then. 'Every hour he says that he is waiting for a loan, and by the time I left for Portugal nothing was done by him. 'He keeps on giving people the runaround, and I spoke to the coaches on the ground who gave me firsthand information that helped inform my decision to go there.' Popular local media personality Tracey Lange, through her initiative Tracey Lange Cares, has played a key role in rallying community support and raising funds to assist in bringing the remaining players home. Mackenzie acknowledged that Lange's intervention has been critical. 'Even on Tuesday he told me he had paid for the accommodation, but even that was not true because it was paid for by the Tracey Lange people,' Mackenzie added. The MEC further revealed this was not the first time such a situation had occurred with the BT Academy. A similar incident reportedly took place during a previous trip to Dubai, raising further concerns about the academy's operations. 'Speaking to the coaches, they informed me that this is not the first time this has happened — they were once stuck in Dubai with the very same company. We will be sure to take action and ensure accountability, but right now it's just about ensuring that the kids get home safe.' Mackenzie said this incident has exposed significant gaps in oversight and that the government will tighten regulations around such tours moving forward, particularly when they involve minors traveling abroad. 'This was not a sanctioned tour by anybody. 'Going forward as a country we need to decide how we deal with these things. What is the country's policy on dealing with unsanctioned tours? We want kids to gain international experience, but they cannot go overseas without formal federation commitment.' In other reports, South African Football Association (Safa) Cape Town president, Bennet Bailey was quoted saying a full investigation will be launched against BET Academy, which is said to be not registered with Safa.
Eyewitness News
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
BT Football Academy group stuck in Portugal set to return to CT by Sunday
CAPE TOWN - A group of 28 children from the BT Football Academy and their coaches who have been stuck in Lisbon, Portugal, are set to be back in Cape Town by the end of this week, thanks to the generosity of South Africans. They were in Spain earlier in July, taking part in an international football tournament. But on the day that they were meant to return to South Africa, they discovered they had no flights booked. ALSO READ: 'Phenomenal' South Africans band together to bring stranded football group back home Thanks to the Tracey Lange Cares Initiative, which spearheaded calls for donations, enough funds were raised to bring them home. They left for Spain on 6 July and spent a week in St Sebastian for the Donosti Cup. But when it was time to leave on 14 July, they found out they had no flights confirmed to get home. In an interview with KFM's Carl Wastie on Monday, BT Football Academy owner Brandon Timmy explained why return tickets were not secured: 'The issue that we had for our return tickets was that we had our application for our visa's processed quite late, so we only had appointments that we received from the application centre round about end of May.' The families of nine children managed to get their children and one of the coaches home this past Saturday. The remaining 25 children and three coaches have been stuck in Lisbon and reached out on social media for help. But because of an outpouring of donations, flights have been secured for the group to get home.
Eyewitness News
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
BT Football Academy didn't follow due process when securing trip to Spain for players
CAPE TOWN - The Western Cape Sport Department said that the BT Football Academy didn't follow due process when securing a trip to Spain for 34 junior players from Cape Town. The players, accompanied by four coaches, took part in an international football tournament in San Sebastian, Spain, earlier in July. But the team was abandoned when trip organisers failed to book return tickets home after the event. The stranded children and their coaches have been supported by expats living in Portugal to get them back in the country. ALSO READ: • BT Football Academy group stuck in Portugal set to return to CT by Sunday • 'Phenomenal' South Africans band together to bring stranded football group back home • Public donations help secure plane tickets to bring home some members of SA soccer team stranded in Portugal Western Cape Cultural Affairs and Sport MEC Ricardo Mackenzie rerouted a work trip in Europe to meet the stranded team in Portugal this week. Mackenzie said it was there that he discovered this was not the first time that BT Football Academy teams had been left in the lurch. "Was speaking with the coaches last night at dinner, they informed me this is not the first time this has happened by the way, it's the first time parents are complaining and obviously the social media campaign. They also told me a story about how they were stuck in Dubai and how they had to find money to get home at one occasion." Public donations driven by the Tracey Lange Cares Initiative have secured enough funds to pay for the group's extended stay in Lisbon, food and tickets back to Cape Town. Over the weekend, nine players and a coach arrived back home. The remaining 25 teens and three coaches still in Lisbon are set to return on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon.
