Latest news with #BrandonTimmy
IOL News
2 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
BT Academy coaches resign after Spain fiasco
BT Academy coaches Jesse Julius, Clayton Levendal, Keeno Damons and Jayvin Chrisholm have resigned after their harrowing experience being stranded in Spain without return flight tickets. Image: Facebook The soccer coaches of BT Academy, who were praised for their performance at a tournament in Spain and for supporting the players after they were left stranded without return flights, have officially resigned from the academy. A group of 38, including an under-14 team, an under-19 team, and a girls team, travelled to Spain to participate in the Donosti Cup 2025. The teams performed well and the trip went smoothly, until the final day. When it was time to return home, they discovered that their return flights had not been booked by the organisers, despite each person having paid R50 000 for what was meant to be an all-expenses-paid trip. In a statement reflecting on the ordeal, the four coaches wrote: 'To Brandon Timmy: we are nothing like you. You tried to break us. You failed to pay us. You abandoned us. But in the end, all you did was bring us closer together. We are coaches with integrity, honour, principles, and honesty. The very things you lack. "The brotherhood you tried to destroy is now stronger than ever: an unshakable force of unity forged through adversity. We won the hearts of the nation not through deception or silence, but through our courage to do what you didn't have the backbone to do - stand up, speak out, and protect the children and families you left behind. 'We are emotionally scarred, yes, but we are not broken. And we will not fail the children, the parents, or the people who believed in us, the way you failed them all.' 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 ✕ The coaches also thanked everyone who helped bring them home. 'We write to you as the coaches of the former BT Academy, not just to thank you, but to honour the nation that stood up when Brandon Timmy turned away. When we were left stranded in a foreign country, abandoned, unpaid, and emotionally broken, it wasn't Brandon Timmy that came to our rescue. It was you. The people of South Africa, and even strangers from across the globe, who opened their hearts, their hands, and their homes to bring us back. "From those who gave despite having little, to those who sent messages of hope and solidarity every day. You carried us when we were at our lowest. Because of the generous, fearless spirit of South Africans and our global allies, we rise, not with anger, but with resolve, dignity, and truth. This is not the end.' Soccer coach Keeno Damons, who had been with BT Academy for three years, confirmed they had all resigned and submitted formal resignation letters. 'You can't work for someone you can't trust. The fact that he did what he did to all of us, the coaches, the players and the parents. Reality is kicking in for me. Brandon, Jayvin and I had a good relationship. To just throw that away is not easy for me. I have so many questions. What was going through his mind when he did this? It's heartbreaking. I feel betrayed,' he said. The sister of one of the coaches who was allegedly dismissed by BT Academy while in Portugal for speaking out about what was happening, said he is still owed over R70 000. 'It all started when they landed in Spain, there was no transport. They were stuck at the airport for a while. Jesse found transport to take them to the (accommodation); he paid R70 000 and BT paid R40 000,' she said. She added that, along with the other coaches, her brother had also contributed towards food for the group, but he was yet to be reimbursed. 'I tried my best to keep them in good spirits. I'm ecstatic that he is back, these past few days felt like months. It still feels so unreal.' BT Academy did not respond to requests for comment by deadline. Cape Times
IOL News
2 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
BT Academy coaches resign after Spain fiasco
BT Academy coaches Jesse Julius, Clayton Levendal, Keeno Damons and Jayvin Chrisholm have resigned after their harrowing experience being stranded in Spain without return flight tickets. Image: Facebook The soccer coaches of BT Academy, who were praised for their performance at a tournament in Spain and for supporting the players after they were left stranded without return flights, have officially resigned from the academy. A group of 38, including an under-14 team, an under-19 team, and a girls team, travelled to Spain to participate in the Donosti Cup 2025. The teams performed well and the trip went smoothly, until the final day. When it was time to return home, they discovered that their return flights had not been booked by the organisers, despite each person having paid R50 000 for what was meant to be an all-expenses-paid trip. In a statement reflecting on the ordeal, the four coaches wrote: 'To Brandon Timmy: we are nothing like you. You tried to break us. You failed to pay us. You abandoned us. But in the end, all you did was bring us closer together. We are coaches with integrity, honour, principles, and honesty. The very things you lack. "The brotherhood you tried to destroy is now stronger than ever: an unshakable force of unity forged through adversity. We won the hearts of the nation not through deception or silence, but through our courage to do what you didn't have the backbone to do - stand up, speak out, and protect the children and families you left behind. 'We are emotionally scarred, yes, but we are not broken. And we will not fail the children, the parents, or the people who believed in us, the way you failed them all.' The coaches also thanked everyone who helped bring them home. 'We write to you as the coaches of the former BT Academy, not just to thank you, but to honour the nation that stood up when Brandon Timmy turned away. When we were left stranded in a foreign country, abandoned, unpaid, and emotionally broken, it wasn't Brandon Timmy that came to our rescue. It was you. The people of South Africa, and even strangers from across the globe, who opened their hearts, their hands, and their homes to bring us back. "From those who gave despite having little, to those who sent messages of hope and solidarity every day. You carried us when we were at our lowest. Because of the generous, fearless spirit of South Africans and our global allies, we rise, not with anger, but with resolve, dignity, and truth. This is not the end.' Soccer coach Keeno Damons, who had been with BT Academy for three years, confirmed they had all resigned and submitted formal resignation letters. 'You can't work for someone you can't trust. The fact that he did what he did to all of us, the coaches, the players and the parents. Reality is kicking in for me. Brandon, Jayvin and I had a good relationship. To just throw that away is not easy for me. I have so many questions. What was going through his mind when he did this? It's heartbreaking. I feel betrayed,' he said. The sister of one of the coaches who was allegedly dismissed by BT Academy while in Portugal for speaking out about what was happening, said he is still owed over R70 000. 'It all started when they landed in Spain, there was no transport. They were stuck at the airport for a while. Jesse found transport to take them to the (accommodation); he paid R70 000 and BT paid R40 000,' she said. She added that, along with the other coaches, her brother had also contributed towards food for the group, but he was yet to be reimbursed. 'I tried my best to keep them in good spirits. I'm ecstatic that he is back, these past few days felt like months. It still feels so unreal.' BT Academy did not respond to requests for comment by deadline. Cape Times
IOL News
5 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Exposed: The booking loophole BT Academy used to abandon SA students in Europe
The BT Academy owners chose to return to South Africa, abandoning 25 students and their three coaches, who were left stranded and vulnerable in Europe. While BT Academy owner Brandon Timmy and his wife were living the high life in Spain, with full knowledge of the looming crisis, they returned home to South Africa, leaving the 25 students and their 3 coaches stranded in Europe. It is clear that Timmy, who has his own travel company - BT Travel, knows the loopholes in the booking system. This is how he could have outsmarted the airlines in order to fund him and his wife's luxury holiday in Spain, before returning to South Africa and abandoning the students and their coaches in Europe to fend for themselves. Refundable tickets Some airlines offer the option of purchasing refundable tickets, which you are allowed to cancel closer to the date of your flight. Full payment is required, which is more expensive than normal tickets, however you can get a full refund back afterwards. It is likely that Timmy may have used this loophole that many travellers are not aware of when he booked the flights. He would have then cancelled the tickets after the VISAs were processed and approved. Timmy, with the knowledge that the students would be stranded in Europe, would have subsequently purchased one-way tickets which, by his own admittance, were more expensive and all they could afford, once the VISAs were approved. The other alternative was that Timmy had help from the Spanish Embassy, however; this is highly unlikely as the visa facilitation services would still have required supporting documentation.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
The crisis at BT Academy: How Brandon Timmy abandoned students abroad
The BT Academy owners chose to return to South Africa, abandoning 25 students and their three coaches, who were left stranded and vulnerable in Europe. Image: Supplied While BT Academy owner Brandon Timmy and his wife indulged in a lavish lifestyle in Spain, they were fully aware of the impending crisis back home. Despite this knowledge, they chose to return to South Africa, abandoning 25 students and their three coaches, who were left stranded and vulnerable in Europe. It is evident that Timmy, the owner of his own travel company, BT Travel, is well-versed in the details of the booking system and its loopholes. This is how he could have outsmarted the airlines in order to fund him and his wife's luxury holiday in Spain, before returning to South Africa and abandoning the students and their coaches in Europe to fend for themselves. Brandon Timmy and wife Jonique Timmy enjoyed a 2-week luxury holiday in Europe before returning to South Africa. Image: Facebook 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 ✕ Refundable tickets Some airlines offer the option of purchasing refundable tickets, which you are allowed to cancel closer to the date of your flight. Full payment is required, which is more expensive than normal tickets, however you can get a full refund back afterwards. It is likely that Timmy may have used this loophole that many travellers are not aware of when he booked the flights. He would have then cancelled the tickets after the VISAs were processed and approved. Timmy, with the knowledge that the students would be stranded in Europe, would have subsequently purchased one-way tickets, which, by his own admittance, were more expensive and all they could afford once the VISAs were approved. The other alternative was that Timmy had help from the Spanish Embassy, however; this is highly unlikely as the visa facilitation services would still have required supporting documentation. Why did the South African embassy not do more to assist them? When they sought assistance from the SA embassy in Spain they found that some of the students' visas had expired. The embassy told them they could only assist them with the visas and not the flight arrangements. This begs the question - why would the South African embassy in Spain - who is there to assist our citizens in emergency situations, not call on government bodies to help. One would also assume that the consulate would have stepped in to help with accommodation for the students when this happened. Is this not why we have embassies - to help South African citizens who are stranded abroad? Perhaps they too were busy enjoying a summer vacation in Europe. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
IOL News
6 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
How BT Academy booked one-way tickets that left students stranded in Europe
While BT Academy owner Brandon Timmy and his wife were living the high life in Spain, with full knowledge of the looming crisis, they returned home to South Africa, leaving the 25 students and their 3 coaches stranded in Europe. It is clear that Timmy, who has his own travel company - BT Travel, knows the loopholes in the booking system. This is how he could have outsmarted the airlines in order to fund him and his wife's luxury holiday in Spain, before returning to South Africa and abandoning the students and their coaches in Europe to fend for themselves. Refundable tickets Some airlines offer the option of purchasing refundable tickets, which you are allowed to cancel closer to the date of your flight. Full payment is required, which is more expensive than normal tickets, however you can get a full refund back afterwards. It is likely that Timmy may have used this loophole that many travellers are not aware of when he booked the flights. He would have then cancelled the tickets after the VISAs were processed and approved. Timmy, with the knowledge that the students would be stranded in Europe, would have subsequently purchased one-way tickets which, by his own admittance, were more expensive and all they could afford, once the VISAs were approved. The other alternative was that Timmy had help from the Spanish Embassy, however; this is highly unlikely as the visa facilitation services would still have required supporting documentation.
